Mr. Orville N. Roth, co-founder of Roth’s Fresh Markets in Oregon, died Sunday afternoon after suffering a heart attack over the weekend. He was 79. In a memo Sunday to Roth’s employees, Mr. Roth’s son Michael Roth, president of the company, and his daughter Melinda Roth said their father was “visiting his favorite childhood cousin […]
Tag: obituary
Posted in, Corporate Store News, West
Stater Bros. Exec Mike Slaton Sr. Dies At Age 51
Mr. Mike Slaton Sr., VP of real estate at Stater Bros. Markets, died suddenly on Saturday, Sept. 28. He was 51 years old. As a tribute to Mr. Slaton, the new 44,000-s.f. Stater Bros. Supermarket that opened last week in Redlands, Calif., will be dedicated in his honor. “Mike was a very loyal and committed […]
Posted in, Store News, West
Fry’s President Dies At 58
The president of Fry’s Food & Drug Stores Inc. has died unexpectedly of a heart attack, the Phoenix Business Journal reports. Mr. Jon Flora, 58, died Friday, Fry’s pharmacy technician and Arizona State Rep. Jonathan Larkin told the Journal in an exclusive interview. Larkin confirmed Fry’s employees learned of Flora’s death Friday afternoon. “It’s such […]
Posted inMidwest, Store News
Kowalski’s Founder Perishes In Float Plane Accident
by Terrie Ellerbee/associate editor Mr. James Kowalski, founder of the Kowalski’s chain of nine stores, died Thursday following an accident in a float plane. Mr. Kowalski, who was 67 years old, was on a fishing trip in Canada. No one else was hurt. According to reports, Kowalski was standing on the float of the small […]
Posted in, Northeast, Store News
Roche Bros. Co-Founder Dies At 85
Mr. Daniel F. “Bud” Roche, the retired co-founder and board chairman of Roche Bros. Inc. in Massachusetts and the founder of Hans Kissle Salad Co., died Wednesday. He was 85. Roche, along with his brother Pat—who died last year—opened their first store in 1952 in Roslindale, Mass. This first meat and produce store expanded in […]
Posted in, National
Target’s Co-Founder, First President Dies At 88
Mr. Douglas James Dayton, who led the transformation of his family’s department store into Target Corp., lost a long battle with cancer Friday. He was 88 years old. The Associated Press reports that Mr. Dayton was the youngest of George Nelson Dayton’s five sons who took over the family’s downtown Minneapolis department store from their […]
Posted in, C-Store News, National
Kum & Go Founder Krause Dies At 78
The founder of the Kum & Go convenience store chain has died. Mr. William A. Krause passed away Wednesday morning at his West Des Moines, Iowa, home after a battle with cancer. He was 78 years old and surrounded by his family at the time of his death. “With heavy hearts, we say goodbye today […]
Posted in, National, Southeast
Georgia Grocery Veteran Slocum Passes Away
Mr. Carlton Slocum, a former Georgia Food Industry Association board member and former owner of Giant Foods in Warner Robins, Ga., passed away Saturday at the age of 76. Mr. Slocum was born in Ararat Township, Pa., on Dec. 27, 1936, to Harold and Vera Slocum. He was member of Christ United Methodist Church, where […]
Posted in, National
Former Goya President Joseph Unanue Dies At Age 88
Mr. Joseph A. Unanue, former president of Goya Foods, passed away Wednesday evening at his home in Alpine, N.J., surrounded by his wife Carmen Ana and his family. He was 88 years old. “We lost a great man and a dear member of our family, who will be missed greatly,” says Bob Unanue, president of […]
Posted in, National, Southeast
Southeastern Grocery Exec Marvin Young Dies
Marvin Young, a well-known grocery industry executive in the Southeast, has passed away. Mr. Young died after suffering a massive heart attack while attending a trade show in Chicago on Tuesday. Mr. Young served as director of center store for Rouses Markets in Louisiana, a position he took in March. Prior to this role, Mr. […]
Posted in, Midwest, National
South Dakota Grocer Bob Buche Sr. Passes Away At 92
Robert “Bob” Francis Buche died March 22 at his home. He was 92 years old. He was born in Lake Andes, S.D. He attended Creighton University and the University of South Dakota. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he was a pilot during World War II. He was the son of Gus Francis […]
Posted in, Southeast
Former Laurel Grocery Co. Chairman Dies
George Washington “G.W.” Griffin, 85, died Monday, Dec. 19, from complications of pneumonia. He was the past chairman of Kentucky-based Laurel Grocery Co. Born Feb. 28, 1926, in East Bernstadt, Ky., Griffin attended the Kentucky Military Institute, Wake Forest University and graduated from the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of the Kappa […]
Posted in, National
Fred Meijer Passes Away at 91
Frederik Meijer, who built the Meijer Inc. chain of stores, died at the Spectrum Healthy System in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Nov. 25 following a stroke. He was 91. He and his father, Hendrik, are credited with inventing the supercenter store format in 1962. Located at 28th Street and Kalamazoo Avenue, the first hypermarket, called […]
Posted in, National, Nonfood Items
Buzz Bradshaw Dies at 101
Douglas B. “Buzz” Bradshaw, the well-known Western food broker, died Nov. 7 at his home in Ketchum, Idaho, just two months before celebrating his 102nd birthday. Bradshaw got into the food business via honey, which led to his nickname Buzz. His father, Rex, had learned beekeeping in New York. Rex had been an infant when […]
Posted in, West
Rose Brown, Mother of Stater Bros.’ CEO, Passes at 91
Rose Brown, a native of Cucamonga, Calif., died of natural causes Aug. 20 at the age of 91. Brown was the mother of Jack. H Brown, chairman and CEO of Stater Bros. Supermarkets, the Inland Empire’s largest employer with more than 18,000 employees, sales of $4 billion and the tag of being a Fortune 500 […]
Posted in, National, Southeast
Ingles Founder Dead at 77
Robert P. “Bob” Ingle, founder and CEO of Ingles Markets, died at the age of 77 Sunday, reports the Asheville Citizen-Times. Ingle, fresh out of college, took out a mortgage on his mother’s house in 1963 and founded Ingles grocery store chain on Hendersonville Road in Asheville. The store did $8,500 in sales its first […]