He was self-confident and comfortable with life. He had a great sense of fashion, stylish shoes, cool haircuts, often a little goatee. And he always arrived to work on time in his signature red Nissan pickup truck. This went on around here for over nine years, beginning in 1989. But Pablo Reiter did more than improve our overall look. More importantly, he lifted our spirits with his kindness, creativity, his wry sense of humor and big smile.

Two weeks ago, Pablo Reiter passed away in a tragic automobile accident near Dryden, Wash. He was 46 years old. Pablo was driving home from a work appointment to his home outside Portland. Apparently he did not suffer for a moment, which is the only good news here.

Paul “Pablo” Reiter was born in Newark, N.J., on Oct. 12, 1961. He was the fourth of five kids and a graduate of Brandeis University, where he received his B.A. in English. He obtained a teaching certificate from the University of Santa Barbara in the late 1980s.

After graduating from college, Pablo and his brother Richard bought a minibus and circumnavigated the country, visiting self-proclaimed utopian communities along the way for entertainment. That’s what eventually landed him in California. He always had a knack for giving out nicknames– even to himself– and before entering one community in Virginia, he gave himself the nickname Pablo, and renamed his brother Richard “Raphael.’’ The name Pablo stuck.

He began his newspaper career when hired to sell display advertising at The Sun, an alt-weekly newspaper in Santa Cruz that I co-founded. The Loma Prieta earthquake shut down The Sun in 1989 and he came to work for the Weekly two weeks later.

He was our top salesperson for the nine years he worked at the Weekly. In 2002 he moved to Oregon with his wife and son.

Pablo was a gifted athlete who loved to surf, bike, hike and be outdoors. He played on a competitive softball team for years and batted clean up for the Love Yams, the Weekly’s softball team. In the early years of the media league we won the championship and Pablo was our star. Pablo had a variety of interests– most recently, he was an art literacy volunteer in the Lake Oswego schools, in his new hometown.

Pablo and his wife, Lori, were regulars at the Weekly events, part of our small organization in the late 1980s that grew from there. Their son, Zach, their only child, was born during his years here (Zach just turned 16). Pablo and Lori were married for 21 years.

I saw Pablo in Portland last summer and he was doing just great, his humor and irreverence intact. He was still giddy about his son, toting current pictures. We chatted about the recent loss of his father, which hit him hard. But Pablo was happy.

As word began to spread last week of his passing, e-mails and phone calls poured in from former co-workers and clients. There was widespread sorrow and shock– and nearly identical comments. “Why Pablo?” “He was such a nice guy.” “He could always make me laugh.”

Pablo is survived by his wife and son, his mother and all four siblings.

For those of you who knew him, you’ll understand the loss. For the rest of you, just know that Pablo was very much part of the Weekly family, a key member of our staff for many years. We wish the very best to his close friends and family.

A blog has been set up in Pablo Reiter’s memory: http://weloveyoupablo.blogspot.com. Contributions may be made at any Wells Fargo bank to the Paul “Pablo” Reiter Benefit Memorial Fund– to be used for Zach’s college education.