OBITUARIES
Scroll down below 2017 Obituaries for a link to previous obituaries or CLICK HERE.
2018
Robert Allan “Bob” Lehman, 90, died December 29, 2018.
He started in the fastener industry in 1956 as an intern for All Stainless Inc. in Boston while earning his bachelor’s degree at Northeastern University on the GI Bill. After graduating, he started his first sales job at Albany Products in Connecticut where he met his future wife, Joyce who was working as the assistant to Edith Cameron.
In 1961, he became president of a startup company called Bell Fasteners in Paramus, NJ. During his 15 years with Bell, he strengthened the ties between distributors and suppliers as he vowed to sell through distribution only.
He was active in the National Fastener Distributors Association and was a Metropolitan Fastener Distributors Association board member.
After Bell Fasteners was sold in 1976, the Lehman family moved to Southern California and he became Western region vice president for fastener distributor AFCOM Inc. However, in his heart, he was always a supplier, and he soon became general manager of the California branches of both Bossard and Majestic Screw & Bolt.
In 1980, he and Joyce started Pacific Warehouse Sales. The initial business model was to be a stocking manufacturer’s representative and a wholesale distributor. Using his contacts from his East Coast days, he found a manufacturer wanting to partner with PWS. In 1985, Deb, the first of his three daughters, started at PWS and was joined soon by her sisters Kelly and Tracy. Bob had his dream of having his whole family working in the fastener industry.
He was instrumental in starting the Western Association of Fastener Distributors – now known as the Pac-West Fastener Association. He was WAFD secretary from 1982-1985 and later board member of the Los Angeles Fastener Association as well.
In 1993, Bob and Joyce moved to Phoenix and gave their daughters ownership of the company. In 1994, Bob was inducted into the IFE Fastener Hall of Fame.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Joyce “Bonnie”; daughters, Deb Kanne (Larry), Tracy Nelson (Todd); and Kelly Lehman; two grandsons, Ryan and Tyler Kanne; and brother, Charlie Lehman (Sally).
A memorial service will be at 11:30am Wednesday, January 9, 2019, at the Old North Church, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, CA.
Memorial donations may be made to the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation: rizzo44.com. Memories of Bob may be shared at: bob-lehman.forevermissed.com. Messages to the family may be sent c/o Pacific Warehouse Sales, 15368 El Prado Rd., Chino CA, 91710. Email: Kelly@PacificWarehouseSales.com
He started in the fastener industry in 1963 with Great Lakes Screw Corp. and rose to vice president of operations. At age 32 he started Midwest Fastener Corporation to manufacture screws and bolts, primarily for the auto industry. He sold Midwest in 2001. He founded two fastener machinery companies: Fastener Equipment Corporation in 1975 and Quality Rebuilding Company of Valparaiso, IN, in 1980.
Robert “Bob” Alex, 92, died October 24, 2018. He founded Rolex Fastener Corporation in Connecticut, an aerospace tool company.
Funeral will be at 1pm October 29 at Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street Newtown, CT. The family suggests memorial donations to Wounded Warrior, PO Box 758517 Topeka, Kansas 66675-8517.
Frederick George Lubker Jr., 76, died December 7, 2018, in Stone Harbor, NJ. He founded Lufasco Inc. (Lubker Fastener Company) in 1967 and led the company until it was sold in 1998.
He started in fasteners in the early 60’s at Wynne Bolt & Screw Company of Philadelphia, when being a quick and accurate typist was key to landing office work. He advanced to inside sales rep as his passion and understanding of the fastener distribution business grew.
In 1967, with his third child recently born, he thought it time to venture out on his own. With an ‘open check’ loan from a supporting acquaintance he started Lufasco. The story is that Fred wrote the ‘blank check’ in the amount of $1,000 – big bucks in those days, with a promise he quickly honored to repay. Realizing shortly there-after that he would need support to provide customer service, he asked Rich Procopio to join him. Lufasco grew to provide fasteners in the Mid-Atlantic region, especially to OEMs.
In 1984, he bought full ownership of Lufasco.
His son Rick joined Lufasco full-time basis and eventually sons Chris and Ben came aboard. The business grew from a single facility in Exton PA, adding branches in Morgantown, PA, Hagerstown, MD, and Rock Hill, SC. In 1998, he sold Lufasco to Purchased Parts Group of Memphis, TN. He mentored his sons as Rick established Lubker Distribution in West Chester, PA; Chris became branch manager of Thruway Fasteners in Atlanta; and Ben moved to the finance industry.
He was an active member of the National Fastener Distributors Association and lectured on business entrepreneurship at industry events and college classrooms.
After the sale of Lufasco, Fred established Lubker Development, developing properties in the Southern New Jersey area. He was a member of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish St. Paul Church where he was an usher and attended daily mass. A member of Philadelphia Country Club and Ibis Golf & Country Club in West Palm Beach, he enjoyed golfing and boating.
Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Joanne M. Carrigan Lubker; his children, Pamela Lubker, Frederick Lubker, III, Christopher Lubker, and Benjamin Lubker; sister, Lois Miller; and nine grandchildren.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o: Lubker Distribution, 1304 Goshen Pkwy, PO Bx 1388, West Chester, PA 19380. Email: rlubker@lubkerdist.com
John “Jack” Sullivan, 90, died September 18, 2018. He co-founded Accurate Fasteners in Boston with childhood friend Jack O’Donoghue in 1960. He was president and chair for its first 50 years.
He was on the National Fastener Distributors Association board from 1981 to 1984 and was technical rep promoting quality standards for many years. He represented fastener distributors in congressional hearings on the U.S. Fastener Quality Act of 1999. After the FQA became law, he was a leader in promoting and explaining the details of the law.
He was a founder and in 1979 the first president of the New England Fastener Distributors Association. He was elected to its Hall of Fame in 1996.
He was named to the NIFS Hall of Fame in 1988.
He and his first wife, Isabelle Lafayette Beausoleil, had five children before her death in 1963. He married Anne Elcock Sullivan and together they raised seven children and eighteen grandchildren.
Survivors include wife Anne; sons Dan, Jack, Peter, Tom and Mark Sullivan; daughters Debbie Stone and Martha Sullivan; and 18 grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10am Saturday, September 22, 2018, at St. Paul Church, Wellesley, MA. Visiting is 4 – 8pm Friday at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., Wellesley. Interment in St. Mary Cemetery, Needham.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Accurate Fasteners Inc. 550 E First St., South Boston, MA 02127.
Memorial donations may be made to Maryknoll Brothers, P.O. Box 301, Maryknoll, NY 10545-9989.
J. David Beneke, 83, died May 2, 2018, at his home in Kentucky. He held a bachelors degree from Georgetown University. He worked first for Reynolds Metals Company. In 1968, he and his father, Chuck “CJ” Beneke, founded Beneke Wire Company.
He was a past president of the Wire Association International.
He was predeceased by his wife, Ellen Hoff Beneke; and a son, David Beneke Jr.
Survivors include six children, Mary Ellen Hale (Gary), Anne Burkley (George), Susan DeWeese (Craig), Allison Beneke, Stephen Beneke (Heather), and Michael Beneke (Wendie); and 13 grandchildren.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Beneke Wire, 5540 National Turnpike, Louisville, KY 40214. Memorial contributions may be sent to Upper Saranac Foundation, PO Bx 564, Saranac Lake, NY 12983.
Robert Glenn “Bob” Dorris, 71, died April 30, 2018, He founded Action Bolt & Screw Corporation in Nashville.
Marilu R. George, 72, a partner in Fastener Solutions Inc., died March 30, 2018.
James Timothy “Tim” Marzano, 61, president of international operations for ND Industries, died after a brief illness.
He was the 1989-91 president of the Los Angeles Fastener Association.
His wife, Kelly Lynn Marzano, had died three weeks previously.
Survivors include Mikaela Marzano and Terri Lynn Mattocks.
A celebration of life will be from 6:30 pm to 11 pm, Friday, March 23, 2018, at the Kimpton Shore Break Hotel, 500 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, CA 92648. There will be food stations, a cash bar and a band.
Messages to the family may be sent to ND at the Western Fastener Processing Division, 13929 Dinard Ave., Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670.
Robert Curtis “Curt” Welk, 59, died unexpectedly February 25. He was president of Fastening Products of Lancaster, PA, and was the 2nd generation to own and operate the business.
Survivors include his spouse, Mary Louise Heckel Welk; daughter, Molly Lynn Robin Welk; and sons Adam Curtis Welk and Zachery Garber Welk.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Fastening Products, 1980 Old Philadelphia Pike, Lancaster, PA 17602. Web: FasteningProducts.net
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Thon c/o Penn State, 227D Hetzel Union Bldg., University Park, PA 16802, or National Alliance on Mental Illness, P.O. Box 103, Conestoga, PA 17516.
Joseph “Joe” Scott, 78, died January 6, 2018. He and his wife Shirley Scott founded Scott Supply Service Inc., a fastener company in Tucson, AZ, and operated it from 1974 to 2011.
2017
Bobby Gwyn Barnhill, 81, died November 24, 2017. She was a third-generation New Mexican.
A self-described nosey person, she intended to be a court reporter but took a different direction when she was asked out for coffee by Jim Barnhill, a fellow University of New Mexico student.
In the 1960s, Bobby and Jim began working for his parents’ business – Barnhill Bolt Company Inc. She became the first woman president of the Western Association of Fastener Distributors and served two terms.
In 1997, Bobby and Jim were inducted into the NIFS Fastener Hall of Fame.
In her 50s, she educated herself on computer technology and helped develop the first computer program being used in the fastener industry.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Jim; and a daughter, Dr. Jamie G. Barnhill.
Survivors include Joan “Korkie” Kerkin, Ross and Connie Barnhill; Lynn Barnhill; John and Shannon Barnhill; six grandchildren; and Jim’s sister and her husband, Mary and Dick Silver.
Services were December 2, 2017, at French-University.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Barnhill Bolt Inc., 2500 Princeton NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107. Email: dee@barnhillbolt.com
William R. “Bill” Hayes Jr., 75, died November 9, 2017, in Wyoming.
He started in the industry with Mel Kirsner of Pell Mell Supply. He founded Hayes Bolt in San Diego in 1976 and sold the distributorship to his first employee, Suzanne Dukes, in 1980. He had started Hawaii Nut & Bolt Inc. in 1979.
After 32 years in the fastener industry he retired to a rural lakeside house in Montana in 2003. He eventually sold the distributorship to his son, Bill Hayes III.
In 1995, he started a fastener jewelry company, Precision Screw. He introduced the company by donating jewelry to a Western Association of Fastener Distributors scholarship fund drawing.
During the U.S. Fastener Quality Act legislative process of the 1990s, Hayes convinced a Hawaii senator to block action on two fastener manufacturer-oriented amendments in order to protect a third amendment, which was distribution-oriented. Though initially that divided the industry, he was later credited for bringing the manufacturing and distribution sectors together to reach an industry-wide position. (See the Fastener History section of GlobalFastenerNews.com: 2003 FIN – No Parting Shots From ‘Loose Cannon.’)
He had suffered polio at age 13 and in later years was wheelchair-bound.
Survivors include a daughter, Robin; and son, Bill.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Hawaii Nut & Bolt, 905 Ahua St., Honolulu, HI 96819. Email: Bill@HawaiiNutandBolt.com Web: HawaiiNutandBolt.com
Morrie Halvorsen, 86, died October 31, 2017.
Halvorsen was the first executive director of the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association, serving from 1977 – 1999.
Halvorsen left his job as VP of marketing at ITT Phillips Drill in 1977 to build STAFDA, taking over the fledgling organization with 18 charter members. During his tenure, STAFDA grew to more than 2,300 member companies. (For more on Halvorsen’s career, read the 1999 FIN article “Halvorsen Retires After 23 Years of Building STAFDA”.)
STAFDA is now managed by Halvorsen’s daughter, Georgia Foley, who was appointed when Halvorsen retired on December 31, 1999.
Halvorsen is survived by his wife Patsy and daughter Georgia.
A private family burial was held in Minnesota. A celebration of life will be held November 17 from 3-5 pm at the Western Racquet Club in Elm Grove, WI.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o STAFDA, P.O. Box 44, Elm Grove, WI 53122. Email: info@stafda.org
In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to the American Parkinson Disease Association or the charity of your choice.
William “Bill” Claeys, 72, died July 29, 2017. He was with Wyandotte Industries for 30 years, including 20 years as assistant sales manager.
Survivors include his wife, Gloria; daughter Marisa; two grandchildren and two siblings.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Wyandotte Industries, 4625 13th St., Wyandotte, MI 48192.
William Jerry Hancock, 83, who owned Nut & Bolt House of Greenville, SC, Metric America, Monster Metric and Mega Metric, died April 16, 2017. He also managed for Bossard Group and retired as a consultant for Lindstrom Metric. He was inducted into the NIFMSE Hall of Fame in 2004.
Survivors include his spouse, Patricia; daughter Mary Ann Brom; son John and his husband, John Wood Jr; three grandchildren; and two siblings.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, 6710 White Horse Rd., Greenville, SC 29611. Web: ThomasMcAfee.com
Donald J. Hoban, 90, died March 30, 2017.
In 1961 he founded Don Hoban Co., Inc., a California-based construction equipment and supply company. He named the company so customers and vendors would know with whom the buck stopped. The company was sold to employees in 1991 and is now DHC Supply Company. Web: DHCsupplies.com
Survivors include his wife, Nancy Hoban; three children, Donald Hoban Jr., Gregory Hoban and Kelly Hoban Nix; and three grandchildren.
A memorial mass for Don will be April 18, 10:30am at Our Lady of Assumption Church, 5057 Cottage Way, Carmichael, CA, with a reception following at Arden Hills Club, 1220 Arden Hills Ln, Sacramento, CA.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o DHC Supplies, 11346 Sunco Dr. #101, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimers Association.
Rennie Wendell Johnson, 88, died March 13, 2017. He and his wife, Doris Johnson, founded Vancouver Bolt & Supply Inc. in 1979. He started in the fastener industry in 1963 with Tacoma Screw Products. He was the 1996-97 president of the Western Association of Fastener Distributors.
Survivors include his wife; son, Craig (Diane) Johnson; daughters Nancy (Steve) Barradale and Debbie (Greg) Ego; eight grandchildren, 11 and one-half great grandchildren.
Services will be at 2pm March 18, 2017, at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 790 Marion St. NE, Salem, OR. Visitation will be noon to 8pm Friday, March 17 at Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service in Salem.
The family suggests remembrances to Al Vader Transportation Fund for Royal Roasarians Foundation or St. Mark Lutheran Back Pack Buddy Program.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Vancouver Bolt & Supply, 805 W. 11th St., Vancouver, WA 99660. Web: VancouverBolt.com
Leon “Lee” Bookman, 91, died February 13, 2017.
He joined Heads & Threads Company in 1959, was appointed president in 1967 and later under Alleghany Corporation became CEO of Heads & Threads International LLC and ultimately chairman.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Carole; son Marc (Toshiko) Bookman; daughters Jodi (Michael) Berger and Susan Bookman; six grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.
Services were held February 20, 2017. Interment in Shalom Memorial Park.
The family suggests memorial donations to: Illinois.Wish.org or planting a memorial tree: HonoringaLife.org.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Goldman Funeral Group, 195 N. Buffalo Gap Rd., Buffalo Gap, IL 60089.
Joseph Patrick “Joe” McIlhon, 64, died February 12, 2017. When he was with the multi-generation distributorship, Iowa Industrial Products, he was the 1999-2000 president of the National Fastener Distributors Association.
After college he started to work at Iowa Industrial in 1976 – which was founded by his father, Dan McIlhon, in 1960. After IIP was sold to Bossard, he joined Porteous Fasteners in 2007. He retired to Johnston, IA, in 2014.
Survivors include his wife, Debbie; brother, Ed McIlhon; and daughter Molly Fiddelke; two daughters; and eight siblings. He was preceded in death by a son, Joseph Robert McIlhon, in 2014; and three siblings.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Assembled Products, 11305 Meredith Rd., Des Moines, IA 50322. Email: emcilhon@assembledproducts.net. The family suggests memorial donations to the Joe P. McIlhon Memorial fund at Wells Fargo for his granddaughters’ education. Web: IlesFuneralHomes.com
Matthew A. Nerney, 39, died unexpectedly February 12, 2017. He was a regional sales manager for Rivet & Eyelet Technologies.
Survivors include his mother, Mary Ellen Nerney; siblings Paul Nerney Jr. and Cindy Donovan; and two nephews.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Rivet & Eyelet Technologies, LLC ; 1215 Main St #110; Tewksbury, MA 01876. Email: patrick.brooks@riveteyelet.com
Family suggests memorial donations made to your favorite charity.
William E. Damm, 76, founder of Modern Fasteners Inc. of Pennsylvania in 1970, died January 24, 2017.
Survivors include sons & daughters: Michael Damm, Linda Sue Wimmer, Barbara Riggs, Bill Damm, Gregory Damm, Chris Damm and Kim Damm; 13 grandchildren; and 5 great grandchildren.
Services at 11 am January 30, 2017, Immaculate Conception Church, 602 West Ave., Jenkintown, PA 19046.
The family suggests memorial donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Mike Damm, Modern Fasteners, 2379 Philmont Ave., Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006. Web: ModernFasteners.com
Vincent B. Morrison, 74, owner of Veterans Fastener Supply Corp. in Syracuse, NY, died January 20, 2017.
Survivors include his wife, Barbara (Homeyer); children, Marina Morrison, Marcia Morrison (David Guereschi) and Marna Boynton; and grandchildren Taylor & Margretta Feuer, DeVaughna Morrison-Guereschi, Patrick & Bryce Boynton.
Messages to the family may be sent c/o Veterans Fastener Supply, 117 Butternut St., Syracuse, NY 13208. Memorial donations may be made to Central New York SPCA or the Vietnam Veterans National Foundation Chapter 103.
Rustin Allen “Russ” Miller, 58, of New Jersey, died Jan. 15, 2017. He was owner/operator of Onyx Fasteners Inc. for 32 years.
Survivors include his siblings, Julie McIntosh Shapiro and Wayne Anthony McIntosh; a half-sister, Laurie Miller Petersen, half-brother, William Matthew Miller.
The family suggests memorial donations to Easel Animal Rescue League, Big East Akita Rescue (B.E.A.R), or a canine rescue shelter of your choice in his name. Web: blackwellmh.com
Martin Alpert, 86, who worked in the Chicago fastener industry for 50+ years, including with XL Screw Corp.
Memorial service will be 11 a.m. on January 20, 2017, at Westlawn Cemetery Chapel, 7801 W. Montrose Ave., Norridge, IL.
Survivors include five children, Wayne, Valerie, Mark, Brad and Robert; and 11 grandchildren.
The family suggests memorial donations to your favorite charity or treating yourself to some ice cream and/or a round of golf. Messages to the family may be emailed: vdalpert@gmail.com.
George John Grabner, 98, died January 2, 2017. His career included chairman and CEO of The Weatherhead Company; chairman and CEO of Lamson & Sessions Company; and board member of multiple companies, including Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. Inc.
He was the 1976-77 Industrial Fasteners Institute chairman and in 2011 received the IFI’s Soaring Eagle Award.
He was president of his class and a hockey player at Western Reserve University and attended Harvard Business School. He began his business career as a CPA with Ernst & Ernst.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer honored him as Business Man of the Year; Sales and Marketing Executives Man of the Year; and he received an honorary doctorate from Tri-State University. He was a founder of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association; chair of the Cleveland 500 Foundation; inducted into the Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame; and a lifetime trustee of the University School and Case Western University. He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame for bringing the Davis Cup Tournament to Cleveland and Mayor George Voinovich presented a Key to the City of Cleveland for his role in bringing financial stability to the city.
Survivors include children: George Jr. (Anne), Jan Casey (Thomas), John (Kathy); 8 grandchildren, 13 step grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by three wives, Martha, Monica and Martha; and two children, Heidi and Thomas.
Memorial donations may be sent to: Recovery Resources, 3950 Chester Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106 or University School, 2785 SOM Center Rd., Hunting Valley, OH 44022.
Messages to the family: legacy.com/guestbooks/cleveland/george-john-grabner-condolences/183296198
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