The Conejo Valley lost a presidential appointee and local business leader earlier this month when Robert D. Nesen of Thousand Oaks passed away after a brief illness.

Nesen, 87, served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Richard Nixon and as American ambassador to Australia and the Pacific island of Nauru when Ronald Reagan was president. In 1970 he moved from Oxnard to Thousand Oaks, where he ran Nesen Motor Car Co. until 1999, when it was sold.

A native of Michigan, Nesen moved to the Los Angeles area during the 1940s. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he spent 22 years in the Naval Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant commander in 1967. He later received the Navy’s highest civilian award.

“Ambassador Nesen is a model for us all,” said U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) to members of Congress in a 1997 tribute to Nesen. “His unwavering patriotism and dedication to duty are truly an inspiration.”

Nesen is survived by his wife, two sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

––Sophia Fischer