Stew Leonard, founder of grocery chain bearing his name, died yesterday at the age of 93 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City after a brief illness.
Born in Norwalk on Dec. 1, 1929, Leonard graduated from Norwalk High School and the University of Connecticut”™s School of Agriculture. He worked for his family”™s dairy business at Clover Farms Dairy in Norwalk, which made daily deliveries of fresh milk.
Opting to move into retail, Leonard opened his eponymous store in December 1969. His 17,000-square-foot store initially carried only eight items. Over the years, Stew Leonard”™s grew into a $600 million business with seven stores in the Tri-State area and more than 2,500 employees. The company remains a family-owned business, run by Leonard”™s son Stew Leonard Jr. with help from his siblings Tom Leonard, Beth Leonard Hollis and Jill Leonard Tavello; five of his grandchildren have also joined the business.
Leonard is survived by his wife of 70 years, Marianne Guthman Leonard, and their four children, 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Photo courtesy Stew Leonard’s
