Obituary
Mucci Farms has announced the passing of Dan Branson, senior director of business and product development for the Kingsville, Ontario-based greenhouse grower.
David Whitmore, a longtime employee of and former vice president for Peak of the Market, died April 16 at age 60.
“Bobby was an original ‘produce man,’” said Robert Bassetti’s brother, Jimmy Bassetti of Little Bear Produce.
Marco Andrea Corbo, produce veteran and vice president of sales and operations for Toronto’s J.E. Russell Produce Ltd., died June 18.
Longtime Kentucky produce industry veteran Al “Buzz” Horton died Sept. 4 at age 79.
Kenneth Fox died April 17 at age 91, the McAllen,Texas-based flexible packaging company announced.
Marianne Santo, three-time president of Eastern Produce Council and senior category manager of produce and floral at Wakefern Food Corp., died Sept. 24.
Gilardi and his brother, Phil Gilardi, co-founded Freshway Foods in 1988 after purchasing the assets of their father’s wholesale company.
Benjy Proffer, who died Aug. 2, operated the Missouri-based produce company his family established in 1964.
The Nunes Co. co-founder, who launched two grower-shippers and garnered produce industry honors, died Aug. 5 at age 95.
Vangelos, whose career spanned over 50 years and included leadership roles for companies and industry organizations, died Sept. 5 at age 92.
Edward “Ed” D. Duda Sr., whose career included leadership positions at A. Duda & Sons and various industry memberships, died Aug. 11 at age 91.
Harold Weisfeld, founder of Fruit Distributing Corp. of California, Commerce, has died.
Richard “Dick” Allen Symms, who led and grew the family business, Symms Fruit Ranch, Caldwell, Idaho, died July 13. He was 84.
Mario Basciani, a mushroom grower known for his tireless work ethic and founder of Basciani Foods, has died.
Canadian produce industry leader Garry Wagner, 84, died Oct. 3 in Calgary, Alberta.
Ken Martin, who left a short career as a funeral director and mortician in Missouri to manage what became one of the Rio Grande Valley’s major citrus operations, has died.
Patrick McTavish, who worked in sales and executive positions at eastern fruit companies, has died.
(UPDATED, Jan. 21) Produce industry pioneer Frieda Rapoport Caplan, 96, has died.
Apple industry veteran Scott Michael Hanses, 62, died March 13.
Carl Ream, who had a produce industry career for more than 30 years, with experience on the retail and supply sides, has died.
Tom “Tommy” Oliveri, who worked at Western Growers in various roles for almost 40 years, has died.
John J. Jerue, who founded a logistics company that bears his name, died July 25, at his home in Auburndale, Fla., just days before his 95th birthday.
Margaret Ann Comito, whose husband and children have overseen the growth of the family company, Norwalk, Iowa-based Capital City Fruit Co., has died.
Douglas Rockstead, an engineer for Tri-Pak Machinery Inc., Harlingen, Texas, has died.
Steve Shadle, who instrumental in the formation of DatePac LLC, which consolidates and packs for the Bard Valley Date Growers Association members, has died.
Fruit importing company William H. Kopke Jr., Great Neck, N.Y., is mourning the loss of Paul Wigand, the director of operations who was with the company for more than 40 years.
Kay Hiatt, who sold Florida citrus for years in a male-dominated industry, died July 11 at Treasure Coast Hospice — Harper House, in Stuart, Fla.
Amy Lowe, executive vice president for PSSI, Keller, Wis., died in a plane crash with her husband.
Albert Garnica, the vice president of agricultural operations at Taylor Farms who helped the industry define reliability and quality that made the value-added salad category possible, has died.