Obituaries
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, August 6, 2007
Steve Wilson, 30-year industry veteran
Thomasville, N.C. — Industry veteran Steve Wilson, executive sales consultant for full-line resource Lexington Home Brands, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 58.
Wilson worked in home furnishings sales and management for over 30 years. His posts included president and CEO of Durham Furniture; vice president of sales for Stanley; national sales manager for Highland House; and sales representative for Lexington, Universal and Rowe. He also worked for retailer Evans Furniture in Richmond, Va.
"Steve Wilson was an incredibly important part of Lexington Home Brands," said President and CEO Phil Haney. "His influence on our company cannot be stressed enough. Steve knew everyone in the furniture industry and had the respect of them all. Not only was he the consummate professional, he was an amazing person and a true gentleman. He will be deeply missed."
Jim Burke, Lexington's senior vice president of sales, said, "Steve served as a generous mentor for me during my sales career, and I'm not the only executive in this industry that benefited from his experience and generosity. But I also learned so much from him, as many of us did, about how to make the most of your life, not just your career. Steve's philosophy was that life should be lived to the fullest and that you should have fun every day of your life."
Wilson's close friend and colleague, Doug Hartzog, Lexington's vice president of sales, said, "This is a sad day for Steve's family and friends and for anyone who had the honor of knowing him. Steve was a good friend to so many of us and we are very saddened by his loss. Our hearts go out to his sons Beau and Ben."
Marilyn Berman Leader, former Harlem owner
Boca Raton, Fla. — Marilyn Berman Leader, former chairman and a co-owner of Top 100 company Harlem Furniture here from 1950 until 2004, has died after a battle with cancer. She was 80.
The seeds for Harlem, now Lombard, Ill.-based The RoomPlace at Harlem Furniture, were planted in 1912 when Sam Berman, Berman Leader's father-in-law, opened his first furniture store.
He sold the business before the U.S. entry into World War II in 1941, but it paved the way for Harlem Furniture, founded in 1950 on Harlem Avenue in Chicago by Berman Leader, her ex-husband, Leo Berman, and others. The retailer is now a Top 100 company and had an estimated $191.2 million in sales at 17 stores last year.
Marilyn Berman Leader retired to Florida in 2005, the year after private equity firms teamed with her son Bruce Berman to acquire the retailer. But she remained active in Harlem's charity work, specifically with the Muscular Dystrophy Assn., raising hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Survivors include her husband, Bernie Leader; two sons, including RoomPlace CEO Bruce Berman; and granddaughter Valerie Berman, RoomPlace marketing manager.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Assn., 3300 E. Sunrise Drive, Tucson, Ariz., 85718-3299, or online at www.mda.org.
Tom Finneran, decorative fabric veteran
Andover, Mass. — Tom Finneran, a decorative fabric industry veteran who held top posts at several major suppliers, has died. He was 67.
He most recently served as president of sales and marketing at American Century Home, based in Salisbury, N.C.
Earlier, Finneran was executive vice president at Cone Jacquards, vice president of sales at the now-defunct Joan Fabrics, and vice president of sales at Quaker Fabric. Before joining Quaker, he held a variety of posts at Joan, and before that was at Beacon Mfg.
"What a tragedy! I loved him. He was a very, very dear guy, and someone I'll really miss," said Elkin McCallum, former CEO of Joan Fabrics. "He certainly loved the fabric business."
Jack Brehm of Najarian Furniture and a former senior executive at retailer Levitz, said, "He was such a great, happy-go-lucky, fun guy. I learned how smart and talented he was when I was a customer of his at Levitz. And I worked with him at Joan and really gained more respect for him. He had a great work ethnic."
"He was straight-forward and honest," said consultant Norman Waxman. "What you saw was what you got, and he was a very good friend."
To Gil Tamares, longtime sales representative for Quaker and now vice president of Regal Fabrics, "He was a salesman's manager, a real gentleman, and he was always there for his people.... The industry lost a giant."
Fabric industry veteran Burt Kaplan, now a consultant to Diversitex, described Finneran as "one of the last legends, a man's man, and someone who always thought of the customer. We lost a big personality. He loved the fabric business and the camaraderie of the industry."
Finneran is survived his wife, Maureen; six sons: Chip, who is with Merrimac Textiles, Sean, with England Furniture, Robert, Brendan, Edward and Neil; and nine grandchildren.
