Louis M. Ream Jr.; Former Arco Executive Founded Winery

Louis M. Ream Jr., 72, former Arco executive and head of Zaca Mesa Ranch and Winery. Born in Thompson, Conn., Ream was educated in chemical engineering at Princeton University and earned his master’s degree in business administration at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Graduate School. After service with the Army during World War II, he joined Atlantic Refining Co., where he became executive vice president in research and development. Ream assisted in the merger of Atlantic with Richfield, forming Arco, and became an executive vice president of the merged company based in Los Angeles. In the 1970s, his family purchased a Southern California ranch and developed a vineyard on it, with Ream serving as founder, president and chief executive officer. He returned to the East Coast after his retirement in 1988. On Monday in Chester, N.J.