The Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC) has announced the death of former longtime COO Carole Christianson on Aug. 1 after a battle with leukemia. Christianson retired in 2022 following a 50-year career in the food and beverage industry and more than 15 years at the helm of the WAFC. During her time as COO, […]
Tag: obituary
Posted inAssociation News, Home Page Slider, National
Veteran Trade Journalist Bob Vosburgh Dies At 54
Robert D. “Bob” Vosburgh Jr., a veteran supermarket trade journalist and most recently a spokesperson for the U.S. store brands industry through his online video work for the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA), died July 15. A resident of New Milford, Connecticut, Mr. Vosburgh was 54. He previously worked as an editor at Griffin Publishing’s […]
Posted inSuppliers, Center Store, Grocery News, Home Page Slider, Midwest, Specialty
Mueller Yurgae Associates Co-Founder Fred Mueller Dies
Mr. Fred Mueller of Urbandale, Iowa, died June 30, 2019, at the veterans hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, of cancer. There will be a memorial gathering to celebrate his life at Iles Westover Funeral Home in Des Moines on Saturday, July 20. Mr. Mueller was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, the […]
Posted inExecutive News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Perishables, Produce News, Suppliers, West
Zespri Operations Manager Jason Donaldson Dies At 46
Mr. Jason Donaldson, operations manager for the Americas for Zespri North America, died unexpectedly on March 22 while on a business trip overseas. He was 46. “We are devastated by the unexpected passing of a great colleague and friend,” said Ben Hughes, GM-Americas for Orange County, California-based Zespri. “Jason brought a contagious energy and enthusiasm to […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Home Page Slider, Southwest, Store News
John Leevers Of Leevers Supermarkets Dies
John “Jack” Norman Leevers of Leevers Supermarkets Inc. died at his home in Mesa, Arizona, on Jan. 22. Mr. Leevers, was born on July 25, 1942, to Norm and Marge Leevers as the oldest of four children in Devils Lake, North Dakota. With the opening of Norm’s IGA store and the founding of Colorado-based Leevers […]
Posted inExecutive News, Home Page Slider, Southeast
Kincannon & Reed Chair Gregory Duerksen Dies Unexpectedly
Kincannon & Reed Chairman Gregory J. Duerksen died unexpectedly in Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday, Jan. 31. Mr. Duerksen joined the executive search firm in 2001 and became chairman and CEO in 2007. “Greg’s contribution to the firm cannot be overstated,” said Kincannon & Reed President and CEO Issy Perez. “He always reminded us to stay […]
Posted inExecutive News, Recommended Reading, Shelby Content, West
Recommended: Peter Magowan, Key Leader Of SF Giants And Safeway, Dies
Peter A. Magowan, the charismatic Safeway supermarket magnate and San Francisco Giants owner and executive who fought off relocation of the team and spearheaded construction of their waterfront ballpark, died Sunday afternoon at his home in Pacific Heights. Magowan had been ill for several years, undergoing surgeries for prostate and liver cancer, and had recently […]
Posted inGrocery News, Beverage News, Executive News, Home Page Latest News, Southeast, Suppliers
Former Adolph Coors Co. Chairman Bill Coors Dies At 102
William K. “Bill” Coors, former chairman of the board of Adolph Coors Co., which merged with Molson Inc. in 2005 to become Molson Coors Brewing Co., died peacefully at his home on Oct. 13 at the age of 102. Mr. Coors was born Aug. 11, 1916, the grandson of Adolph Coors Co. founder Adolph Coors. […]
Posted inSoutheast, Executive News, Home Page Latest News
Former Alabama Grocer Greg Calhoun Passes Away At 66
Longtime Montgomery businessman and local grocery store owner Greg Calhoun died Thursday, according to his daughter, reports the Montgomery Advertiser. He was 66. In her post on Facebook, Mr. Calhoun’s daughter ShaKenya Calhoun, wrote, “Today my father, Greg Calhoun was granted his Heavenly wings in Los Angeles, CA at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 5:55 a.m. […]
Posted inExecutive News, Home Page Latest News, West
Big Saver Foods Founder Uka Solanki Dies At 74
Uka Solanki, founder of Big Saver Foods, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, Sept. 8, at the age of 74 from complications of a lung disease. Mr. Solanki was born in a small, rural city in the state of Gujarat, India, in 1944. Even as a young man, Mr. Solanki was an entrepreneur, working in businesses as […]
Posted inExecutive News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Midwest, Store News
Former Fareway Principal F. William Beckwith Passes At 91
F. William Beckwith, best known as Bill, passed away at his Boone, Iowa, home on July 30. He was 91. Mr. Beckwith believed in sustainability and resourcefulness, qualities that led to the continued success of Fareway Stores Inc., the Iowa-based company that his father, Paul S. Beckwith, pioneered with partner Fred Vitt in 1938. Mr. […]
Posted inExecutive News, Home Page Latest News, Northeast, Store News
Village Super Market Patriarch James Sumas Dies At 84
Wakefern Food Corp. and ShopRite are mourning the loss of James Nicholas Sumas, longtime patriarch of Village Super Market Inc., which owns and operates 30 ShopRite supermarkets in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. “Jimmy,” as he was affectionately called, was an influential member, mentor and guiding force at Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative. […]
Posted inExecutive News, Corporate Store News, Home Page Latest News, Midwest, Store News
Jewel-Osco President Doug Cygan Passes Away At 55
Doug Cygan, president of Jewel-Osco, passed away this morning at age 55, The Shelby Report has learned. The company has yet to make a statement, but a source close to Mr. Cygan has said that he was hospitalized in June for a blood infection related to emergency hernia surgery. Mr. Cygan’s celebration of life service […]
Posted inNortheast
NOCO Energy Leader Reginald Newman II Passes Away
Reginald B. “Reg” Newman II, 80, former president and chairman of NOCO Energy, parent company of NOCO Convenience Stores of New York, died unexpectedly on April 7 at his winter home in Vero Beach, Florida. Mr. Newman expanded NOCO into the largest independent supplier of petroleum products in Western New York and one of the […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Suppliers, West
Pretty Lady Grapes Founder Jakov Dulcich Killed, Suspect Arrested
The founder of Dulcich & Sons, the Delano, California, farming company best known for Pretty Lady grapes, was shot and killed April 11, reports The Bakersfield Californian. Jakov Prosper Dulcich, 84, was found with multiple gunshot wounds around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday in the area of Woollomes Avenue and South Browning Road in Delano, according […]
Posted inNortheast, Home Page Latest News
New York Grocery Icon Andrew Balducci Passes Away At 92
Andrew Balducci, co-owner of the original Balducci’s food store in New York City’s Greenwich Village, died late last month in Roslyn, New York, of Leukemia. He was 92. Mr. Balducci was born in Brooklyn, New York, but was raised in Italy after his family moved back when he was two years old. He returned with his […]
Posted in, Corporate Store News, Executive News, Home Page Latest News, Store News, West
Kenneth Olsen, Former Vons President & CEO, Passes Away At 99
Grocery industry veteran Kenneth Oscar “Ken” Olsen passed away peacefully on March 4 in the comfort of his Southern California home. He was 99. Born June 13, 1918 in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Olsen was the son of Norwegian immigrants Sophia Abrahamsen and Mikal Marcellus Olsen. He was enrolled at NYU when the war broke […]
Posted inExecutive News, Corporate Store News, Home Page Latest News, Northeast, Store News
King Kullen Grocery Co. Co-Chairman Bernard Kennedy Dies At 92
King Kullen Grocery Co. Co-Chairman and former President Bernard D. Kennedy passed away Feb. 17 at his home in Point Lookout, New York. The announcement was made by Kennedy’s sons, King Kullen Co-President J. Donald Kennedy and King Kullen Secretary and General Counsel Bernard P. Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy was 92. The second generation of four […]
Posted inExecutive News, Home Page Latest News, Midwest, Suppliers
Morey’s Seafood Board Chairman Justin Heyman, 50, Dies In Accident
Justin Heyman, chairman of the board at Morey’s Seafood, passed away Friday, Feb. 9, as the result of injuries sustained in a snowmobiling accident while on retreat in Wyoming. He was 50 years old. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Mr. Heyman was an avid cyclist, sports enthusiast and true adventurer who lived […]
Posted inC-Store News, Home Page Latest News, Southwest, Store News
Allsup’s Convenience Stores Founder Passes Away At 84
Allsup’s Convenience Stores founder Mr. Lonnie D. Allsup, 84, of Clovis, New Mexico, died Jan. 28 at his home. Mr. Allsup was born Sept. 7, 1933, in Lubbock, Texas, to Roy and Ellen Reed Allsup. He was raised in and graduated from high school in Morton, Texas, where he played football and basketball. After graduation […]