Obituaries
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, April 20, 2008
Al Dietz, territory manager for Simmons Upholstery
Newburyport, Mass. — Al Dietz, a territory manager for Simmons Upholstery, has died of complications from leukemia. He was 61.
Dietz started his career in 1965 with retailer Hurley Liebman in Philadelphia. He moved to upstate New York to work for Standard Furniture, then relocated to the Boston area. There, he worked for retailers Summerfields Furniture and DJ Hancock.
In 1990, he started his wholesale career with Eastern States Distributors.
Dietz is survived by his wife, three sons, a daughter and two grandchildren.
Memorial donations can be made to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202.
James Hockberger, design and sales veteran
Pompano Beach, Fla. — Industry veteran James Vincent Hockberger, who had a long career in design and sales, has died from medical complications. He was 55.
Hockberger obtained an interior design degree and later joined the National Council for Interior Design Qualification and the American Society of Interior Design.
He worked at the University of Northern Iowa, Dansk Furniture, Cox Contemporary Furniture in Marion, Ill., and for Scandinavian Design at the Michigan Avenue store in Chicago.
In late 1979, he joined Westnofa. As its vice president from 1980 to 1992, Hockberger procured and set up showrooms in Copenhagen, Cologne, Milan and the United States, and directed retail and contract sales. He designed products including the Library Wall, renowned for its originality and excellence among European wall systems.
As a factory rep, Hockberger worked with contemporary specialists. He worked with Carter Furniture; Techline, where he was awarded Best Percent Growth in 1996; American Leather, where he was honored for outstanding territory development in 1997; and Elite Mfg., where he recorded highest sales volume in 1999 and 2000. He also did sales work with Elite Leather.
He is survived by his father, five brothers, and companion, Gloria.
A memorial service to honor and celebrate his life is planned for Chicago on April 26. For information, e-mail lloyddavisiii@aol.com.
Carl Kanowsky, founder of Kanowsky Furniture
Sacramento, Calif. — Carl Kanowsky, retired founder of manufacturer Kanowsky Furniture, has died. He was 85.
Kanowsky was an industry pioneer, using creative upholstery production methods, setting up national trucking and logistic programs, and creating innovative designs that resulted in national distribution in the late 1980s with retailers JCPenney, Rhodes, Wickes, Levitz and Sears.
He founded Kanowsky Furniture here in 1969. In addition to his 300,000-square-foot factory in Sacramento, Kanowsky opened an eastern factory in Galax, Va. in 1988. At their peak, facilities were producing more than 2,000 pieces of furniture per day and employed more than 500 people. The company closed in 1990.
Kanowsky was constantly involved with his customers and was always eager to hear their comments and suggestions. At one point, he had his daughter Becky, who was office manager, travel to visit customers to gather feedback on service, delivery, product and sales.
He came from a long line of furniture people. His father, Carl J. Kanowsky, made furniture in the early 1920s in Los Angeles as Standard Furniture, and his grandfather also produced furniture in Germany. His brother Vincent owned Allied Fine Furniture in Los Angeles.
Kanowsky is survived by five daughters and four sons.
Dallas Yeargain, former bedding association chairman
Denver — Dallas Yeargain, a former chairman of the National Assn. of Bedding Manufacturers, the predecessor organization to the International Sleep Products Assn., has died. He was 86.
Yeargain was a champion of the mattress industry who held several top association positions, recalled his stepson, Tim Smith. He received ISPA's highest honor, the Russ Abolt Award, in 1992.
"Dallas was a tireless supporter of the bedding industry and believed that the strength of this industry came from equal representation of all manufacturers, regardless of size," Smith said.
Yeargain was a major force in Spring Air, a group to which he devoted decades. He started with Spring Air in 1949 in Denver.
His bedding company, Southwest Mattress Co., later became Spring Air Mattress Co. of Colorado, and Yeargain became president of the company. He retired from the industry in 1995.
In addition to his wife, survivors include three daughters, a stepdaughter, stepson Tim Smith, president of Big Sky Bedding Consulting of Billings, Mont., six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Marilee Burt Fund/Beacon Center, 333 W. Hampden Ave., Englewood, CO 80110.
Gary Inoff, VP sales, marketing for Bartson Fabrics
Greensboro, N.C. — Services will be held in Falls Church, Va., on April 27 for furniture and fabric industry veteran Gary Inoff, who died April 12.
Inoff, 65, had been battling cancer since he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March 2007.
He worked for the former Selig Mfg. before opening his own furniture manufacturing company called Private Label in the mid-1980s.
In 1995, he joined Bartson Fabrics as vice president of sales and marketing and continued working there until his death.
He is survived by two sons, a daughter, five grandchildren, his mother and his sister.
Services will be held at 12:30 pm at National Memorial Park/King Davis Cemetery, 7482 Lee Hwy., Falls Church, Va.
Memorials may be made in his name to The Houston Hospice, 1905 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030.
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