TOWACO, N.J. — Past president of the International Home Furnishings Representatives Assn., William Alan Richmond died on Oct. 2. He was 77 years old.

Richmond was born in Elizabeth, N.J., to Benjamin and Eleanor Richmond. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University and began a career on Wall Street before entering the furniture industry with former business partner Albin Grundner.

He was a member of the Greater Metropolitan Furnishings Assn., member and past president of IHFRA, and received the Dean of IHFRA award in 1997.

Richmond is predeceased by his parents and his wife, Joan, to whom he was married for 42 years until she died in 2014. He is survived by a daughter, a brother and sister, his partner Pam, and several nieces and nephews.

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TROY, N.C. – Jesse Smith Capel, who worked in his family’s rug business from 1957 to 2007, has died at the age of 90.

Born on Nov. 17, 1932, Capel graduated in 1954 with a degree in textile management from N.C. State University. He served in the U.S. Army for several years before joining the family business. During his 40 years with Capel Rugs, he made significant contributions in the areas of finance, importing and manufacturing. Company leaders say Jesse Capel’s contributions to the company legacy are irreplaceable.

The Capel family started its namesake rug company with braided rugs in 1917 and during the past 100-plus years collaborated with major brands such as Sears, JCPenney, L.L. Bean and Pottery Barn.

In addition to his leadership role in the family business, Capel served on a number of boards in the community, including the Virginia Episcopal School, St. Mary’s School, the Duke Heart Center, the Montgomery County Fund, Pfeiffer University, the N.C. Museum of History and the N.C. Museum of Art. He also served as chairman of FirstBancorp’s board of directors and as president of the North Carolina State Ports Authority Foundation.

Capel served  16 years as chairman of the Montgomery Community College Board of Trustees, as district chairman for Boy Scouts of America and as a former president of Troy Rotary Club.

Capel is survived by his wife of 68 years, Julianne Boone Capel; three daughters, Mary Clara Capel, Julie Williams and Sarah Kea Capel; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two brothers and a sister. He was preceded in death by his son, Jesse Smith Capel Jr.

Visitation with the family will be held 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Bumgarner Funeral Home, 620 Albemarle Road, Troy, N.C. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 26, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 239 N. Russell St., Troy, N.C.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jesse Capel’s memory to The Trinity Fund at Trinity United Methodist Church in Troy.

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SUMMERFIELD, N.C. — Donald Alan Essenberg passed away at his home on Sept. 8. He was 68.

Essenberg graduated with honors from Appalachian State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Business degree, and his career in the furniture industry began shortly before graduation. Starting as a furniture sales representative, he quickly moved into management positions, including vice president posts at Magnussen and Universal Furniture, and president of Legacy Classic.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Marilyn Essenberg, and one brother. Married for 48 years to Caryl Ann, Essenberg had two children and four grandchildren. He is also survived by two brothers.

The family has planned a private burial. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 at Oak Ridge Methodist Church, 2424 Oak Ridge Road, Oak Ridge, N.C.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Men’s Bible Study at Oak Ridge Methodist Church.

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DENVER — William “Bill” Lorton Cook Sr., long-time head of Howard Lorton Furniture & Design, died Sept. 11 at the age of 85.

Born May 8, 1938, Cook graduated from Stanford’s architecture school and then returned to Denver to join the family business, Howard Lorton Furniture & Design. Just one year later, his grandfather, Howard Lorton, died and left it to Cook to continue the business.

Cook maintained his grandfather’s legacy, following his ethos: “Personal service is the foundation upon which we hope to build a lasting and happy relationship between ourselves and those patrons who favor us with the opportunity.” His son, Will, is now president of the company.

In 2018, Cook was the inaugural recipient of the Better Business Bureau’s Carrying the Torch award, recognizing his years of dedication to the BBB. He volunteered with the Denver Parks People, where he served as president from 2002 to 2005.

Cook is survived by his wife of 55 years, Nancy; two children; four grandchildren and four step-grandchildren.

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WACO, Texas – The co-founder and co-owner of Waco Mattress Center Billy Joe Weaver died late last month. He was 55.

Weaver and his wife Carol Weaver founded the retail operation in 1999, and earlier this year, the company was honored as one of Furniture Today’s Retail Giants of Bedding.

Born in Chattanooga, Tenn., to Gloria Clark and Bill Weaver, Weaver loved sports, including football, basketball, track, fishing and his most favorite golf. In high school at Trinity Euless, he played varsity football starting his sophomore year where he was fullback in the wishbone offensive formation. Weaver attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, with most of his high school teammates, where they won two NAIA National Championships.

Weaver worked at UPS and Walmart in Bedford, Texas, where he found his passion for sales in retail. He started at Walmart as a cart pusher and eventually worked his way up to assistant store manager at one of the largest Walmart Supercenters in Arlington, Texas, where he met Carol. The two married in 1996.

Preceded in death by his parents, Weaver is survived by Carol, three sons William Joseph (Joey) Weaver and wife Nicole; Skyler Keegan Weaver and wife Catelyn; and Alec Payne Weaver, who currently works with Carol at Waco Mattress Center. In addition, two grandsons Wyatt and Tucker; his sister Rhonda Lambert and husband Chris; three nephews Josh, Jarred and Colton; and a niece, Jules.

Waco Mattress Center was Weaver’s legacy, pride and joy, his family said. When he wasn’t at work he was fishing or golfing or at his sons’ sporting events.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that memorials be made in Weaver’s name to The Shepard’s Heart Pantry  his favorite charity, or go play golf.

A celebration of life service is being held today in Waco, Texas.

See also:

• Norman Rosenblatt, longtime Therapedic International chairman, dies
• N. California retailer Robert Beckinger dies at 81

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EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — Longtime furniture retailer Robert Stephen Beckinger passed away on July 26. He was 81.

Born May 4, 1942, Beckinger began working in his grandfather’s furniture store while he was still in school. When his father retired, Beckinger opened his own store in the greater Sacramento area in 1976, Beck’s Furniture. The retailer opened two more locations in 1993 and in 2005.

Beckinger is survived by three children, Danielle, Stacia and Tony; six grandchildren; and his brother, Gary Beckinger.

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MONUMENT BEACH, Mass. – Under the tutelage of Norman Rosenblatt, Therapedic International was able to grow from just another mattress company in the sea of many to a branded, well-known name in the sleep arena.

Rosenblatt, the super-majority shareholder and longtime chairman of Therapedic, died Wednesday, Aug. 16. He was 86.

Prior to becoming chairman, Rosenblatt was a licensee for the company in New England, and in 2008, he began to acquire an equity stake in Therapedic.

Gerry Borreggine, president and CEO of Therapedic, worked with Rosenblatt for 20 years and said Rosenblatt was like a second father.

“First and foremost, he was a devoted family man,” Borreggine said, adding that his wife Barbara was the love of his life and that he adored her. In addition to her, Rosenblatt is survived by his three children – Andrew, Mitchell and Susan – and a number of grandchildren.

In the mid-2000s, Borreggine said he and Rosenblatt became a formidable team. He credited Rosenblatt for the company’s growth both globally and domestically and said he built the company into a strong, positioned mattress brand.

“He gave me great flexibility to do things that he didn’t necessarily agree with,” Borreggine said. “We did some unique things when we were growing the business, like when we were beginning to work with Bed Bath & Beyond. We had the opportunity to do something exclusive with them. As bad as it ended for them, under Norman’s leadership, we grew a parallel business to our mattress business.

“Today, Therapedic is a vibrant brand,” Borreggine said. “He allowed us to become the No. 1 brand alternative to the top tier brand and the no-name brands. We have defended that since that time.”

Rosenblatt entered the mattress industry when he went to work for a Serta factory in New England. After that, he became an independent factory owner and then joined the Therapedic network of licensees.

Prior to jumping into the mattress industry, he was an executive with Bristol Myers, now Bristol Myers Squibb, worked for a candy company and worked for Lever Brothers. He was a special operation’s veteran and lettered in football at Colby College.

Borreggine said he had learned a lot from Rosenblatt during the years.

“When I went to see him last, we were talking and I wanted him to teach me one last lesson,” he said. “I told him ‘I want you to teach me how to die.’ Then, he said ‘live. You asked me to teach you how to die, I’m telling you to live. Live until the moment you die,’ That was the final lesson to his student.”

A funeral service will be held Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 11 a.m. at the Chapman Funeral Home located at 584 W. Falmouth Highway (Route 28), West Falmouth, Mass.

See also:

• Albert Fraenkel II, founder of Fraenkel Co., has died at 94
• Son of Broyhill Furniture founder, James Broyhill, dies at 95

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RADFORD, Va. — Veteran sales representative John “JJ” Page Johnson passed away on Aug. 6 from a severe stroke. He was 78.

Johnson was born July 11, 1945, in Roanoke, Va., to John and Roberta Johnson. He grew up in Galax, Va., and was a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University. He was a manufacturers’ sales representative in the furniture industry for more than 50 years, working for companies including JGW and Avalon Furniture and working with his daughter Hillary and son Tom.

Johnson was preceded in death by his parents and brother. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Betty Lou, two children and three grandchildren.

The family suggests donations may be made in Johnson’s memory to Friends of Claytor Lake, 6580 Valley Center Drive, Room 318, Fairlawn, Va. 24141; and to Unity Christian Church, 400 Tyler Avenue, Radford, Va. 24141.

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LOVELAND, Ohio — Furniture retailer Timothy Donnell Canada died Nov. 3, 2022, at the age of 59.

Canada, born Dec. 1, 1962, was the former owner of Bond Furniture in Loveland, Ohio, as well as a former Loveland City Council member.

He was predeceased by his parents D.C. and June Canada. Canada is survived by his wife Joan, three children and one grandchild, as well as numerous family and friends.

Canada was a longtime coach and mentor, dedicating many years of service to youth sport organizations in Loveland and in Howell, Mich. The family suggestions that donations may be made in his memory to local youth sports organization or a charity of your choice.

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BATON ROUGE, La. — David John Henson, a sales representative for Aico for more than nine years, died on July 19 of stage IV pancreatic cancer. He was 63.

Henson was born Oct. 19, 1959, to John and Joan Henson.

“David was a true professional and man of great honor who valued the relationships he developed with his customers, and within the industry.  He always had a smile on his face and funny story to share,” said Michael Amini, CEO and founder of Aico.

Henson is survived by his wife, Tina; two daughters, Caroline and Katherine; three grandchildren; his mother, father and stepmother; a brother and sister; and cousins, nieces and nephews.

A memorial to celebrate Henson’s life will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 5, at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 230 Renee Dr., Baton Rouge, La. A reception at the church will follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions may be made to St. John’s United Methodist Church or to the St. Tammany Art Assn., 320 N. Columbia St., Covington, La. 70433.

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