The founder of the popular food retailer Stew Leonard's, Stew Leonard Sr. passed away at the age of 93. Leonard's death was confirmed on Thursday. While no additional information about his death was revealed, he was suffering from some illness that led to his demise. The company revealed the news on Twitter with a picture that said that Stew Leonard Sr. passed away on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
Mayor of Yonkers Mike Spano also paid tribute to Leonard Sr. on Facebook. Spano posted two pictures including one where the two had met. He wrote that Leonard Sr. had contributed to turning the supermarket chain into a destination for the best food products and provided jobs for people in Yonkers.
Spano's statement continued that over everything, Stew was a friend. He added that Leonard Sr. and his family were staunch advocates of water safety, nutrition, agriculture, farming, and food. The Mayor added that the pictures he shared were from Thanksgiving 2021 and said that Leonard Sr. will be missed but that his legacy will remain in Yonkers.
The company's website revealed that the memorial service will be private and a celebration of life is scheduled to be held soon. It mentioned that donations could be sent to the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation.
Leonard Sr. is survived by his wife Marianne alongside his children Stewie, Tom, Beth, and Jill, and 13 grandchildren.
Stew Leonard's has accumulated profits worth $600 million in all these years
Stew Leonard's started its journey in 1969 with only seven employees and it slowly emerged as the world's largest dairy store. It earned revenue of around $500 million as it started to develop and has more than 2,500 members.
The stores currently operate in places like Danbury, Newington, Yonkers, East Meadow, and Paramus. The current net worth of the company's founder is estimated to be $600 million.
The company is currently being operated by Leonard Jr. with his siblings Tom Leonard, Beth Leonard Hollis, and Jill Leonard Tavello. Leonard Sr.'s grandchildren are also a part of the business.
The company's first store was built on a 17,000 sq. ft. of area and had only eight items for sale. The second store was launched in Danbury, Connecticut, in 1991. The store features everything from meat and fish to cheese and wine and much more. Each store has more than 2,000 items in its collection.
The company has gained recognition for being the best in customer service and quality. Its name has been included in the books of Tom Peter – A Passion of Excellence and Thriving on Chaos. Their name was also added to The Guinness Book of World Records in 1992.
Despite going through a successful phase, the company was involved in a controversy where Leonard Sr. was charged with tax fraud in 1993. He was the mastermind of a scheme where the company planned to use a computer program for skimming sales. Leonard Sr. accepted the blame for the fraud and was sentenced to 52 months but served only 44 until 1997.
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