In 2025, the industry lost many well-known and long-respected leaders. Also lost were those not so well known, but who should still be recognized, and we have tried to honor them as well.

This list, we realize, is not comprehensive. Please let us know by email if we missed any industry representatives that deserve to be remembered. 

JANUARY

Gary L. Zeitler, 63, of Britt, Iowa, served as product manager for Original Saw Co., died Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, after battling lung and bone cancer.

Zeitler was described by friend, and industry colleague, Robert Eelman of New Jersey-based Eelman Machinery Inc., as an "incredible fount of knowledge in the woodworking machinery world, plus a real character. Gary was a great guy whose knowledge and technical expertise [were] key to the production of the Original Saw's quality product line."

Zeitler was employed at the Original Saw Company in Britt for 25 years before retiring. In a brief bio on Original Saw Company's website, written before his death, the company said of Zeitler: "With [25] years of experience at Original Saw Company under his belt, Gary is an expert at all things mechanical. As production manager, Gary oversees production and workflow. With his extensive knowledge of electronics and troubleshooting, he continues to be an expert in his field. He has vast experience in troubleshooting and tech support. 

George Lee Slack, a man of many careers, including as a master furniture maker, died on Jan. 17, 2025. He was 84.

Slack served in the Air Force and worked for the Central Intelligence Agency with more than 30 years of service. In retirement he pursued his passion for woodworking and transitioned into a master cabinet maker and teacher specializing in the building of 18th Century American style reproduction furniture. He was a gifted carver and superior teacher.

His love of building and passion for fine furniture resulted in the creation of over 30 masterpieces. Many of his pieces he measured and built from the holdings of the U.S. State Department, New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art and other museums.

In addition to his woodworking skills, he developed a unique carving vise and received a USA inventor’s patent.

Paul S. Bush, a pioneering founder of Bush Industries, Inc., and a luminary in the American RTA furniture business, died on Jan. 22. He was 88.

In 1959, he joined his family's business and laid the groundwork for what would become Bush Industries Inc. Recognizing the untapped potential in the emerging electronics furniture sector during the mid-1970s, he steered the company towards this new frontier. His gamble paid off. By 1979, Bush Industries was pioneering solutions tailored for the American lifestyle, becoming the first RTA manufacturer to incorporate wood solids and veneers. The company grew to become one of the top-10 furniture manufacturers in the United States, leading the way in innovative solutions for work and home life.

In 1970, Paul Bush bought out the remaining family members and took over sole control of the management of Bush Products. The early 1970s saw the introduction of chrome and glass end tables and a plastic television table which was made to resemble wood. This product quickly became a success, and led to an increasing focus on the manufacture of furniture. The company changed its name to Bush Industries in 1975.

By the end of the 1970s, Bush Industries was still a small company, with annual sales of around $7 million. But the expanding interest of consumers sales for 1985 stood at a record $41.6 million, and by 1990 annual sales had climbed to $110.3 million.

He left the company in 2004.

FEBRUARY

Jeffrey David Beery, 43, of Sterling, died Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Cleveland Clinic after a 20-month battle with cancer.

Beery owned and operated Beery Custom Woodworking and Remodeling for the past 14 years and had made his home in Sterling all his life. He enjoyed the Cleveland Browns, Cavs and Indians, Ohio State Football, and Norwayne sports. Active in his children’s sports activities, Beery helped coach hundreds of kids over the years in youth soccer, basketball, baseball, and flag football. When Beery wasn’t coaching, he enjoyed hanging out with his family and woodworking.

MARCH

Thomas Francis Moser, the famous furniture designer and craftsman behind the iconic Thos. Moser furniture company, died March 5. He was 90.

For more than a half century, the Maine-based craftsman designed and built elegant wooden furniture that bore his name. His work graces homes, Presidential libraries, museums, and more. His Harpswell Chair, designed by Moser in 1990, is one of 55 pieces featured at the George W. Bush Library and Museum, located in Dallas, on which five U.S. presidents have rested.

His work also included a lectern for President Bill Clinton, pieces for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and ceremonial seating for two Catholic Popes, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. He even built furniture for Chef Ming that was used in the long-running cooking show, Simply Ming.  

Moser, and his wife, Mary, founded Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers in 1972. Operating as a one-man shop out of an old Grange Hall in New Gloucester, Maine, the company grew along with Moser's renown.  Since 1987, the business has been based in Auburn, Maine, working out of a 90,000-square-foot workshop.

Gene Wengert, known for decades as The Wood Doctor who answered questions from wood professionals for the popular Wood Doctor column in FDMC magazine, died March 17 from metastatic pancreatic cancer. He was 82. 

Wengert, who in addition to the Wood Doctor column also penned the monthly Wood Explorer column that explored lumber and veneer qualities and performance, species by species, began his career in wood products in 1961. He was hired to load and unload a solar-heated lumber dryer at the US Forest Products Lab in Madison, Wisconsin. He continued working at the Lab on the weathering and drying of wood through 1976.

While there, he co-authored the USDA Handbook Drying Eastern Hardwood Lumber, a resource that continues to be used throughout the industry. He also was assigned for two years at the Rocky Mountain Forest Experiment Station in Ft. Collins, Colorado. This experience, working directly with the wood industry, culminated in his move to take a faculty position as a wood products extension specialist at Virginia Tech, where he worked for 16 years. He developed the so-called “Virginia Tech Solar Heated Lumber Dryer,” which has been built around the world.  

Paul Sasso, custom furniture maker, artist, and woodworking professor for 27 years, died on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. He was 76.

Sasso, who was born in Canada, died unexpectedly while recovering from open-heart surgery at Baptist Health in Paducah, Kentucky.

He was renowned for creating impeccably crafted, heavily embellished and functional art pieces. His unique painting style was initially inspired by the car culture of 1970’s Detroit (think Ed Roth). His painted surfaces were achieved by applying hundreds of layers of transparent acrylic paint with a spray gun. This technique is documented in The Penland Book of Woodworking, Lark Books 2006, and his complete body of work is preserved on his website www.paulsassoart.com.

APRIL

Ase Stornetta, of Bangor, California, died on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. He was 73.

A lifelong innovator and passionate advocate for American manufacturing, Stornetta leaves behind a legacy of craftsmanship, leadership, and ingenuity that has shaped the woodworking machinery sector for decades.

In 1988, he purchased Ritter Manufacturing from its founder Joe Ritter. Under his leadership, Ritter flourished, becoming a respected name known for rugged, reliable woodworking machines. Based in Antioch, California, Ritter Manufacturing operated from a 65,000-square-foot facility and was fully vertically integrated—handling fabrication, machining, and assembly in-house. Many Ritter machines built under Stornetta's direction are still running strong more than 45 years later.

In 2001, Stornetta expanded Ritter’s capabilities by acquiring the Crouch product line, reinforcing the company’s strength in pocket-hole, boring, sanding, shaping, and assembly equipment. A talented engineer with a keen sense for practical design, he led his team in developing machines that met the real-world needs of woodworkers across North America.

In 2016, Stornetta sold the Ritter brand to Choice Machinery Group.

MAY

Kim Okada died May 11 from smoke inhalation after the electric recliner on which she sat caught fire. 

The fatal house fire in Brighton, Colorado, near Denver. The source of the May 11 fire was an electric recliner chair. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the home was fully engulfed in smoke, with one person trapped inside. Crews rushed in, rescued her and began CPR, but it was unsuccessful. 88-year-old Kim Okada died from smoke inhalation.

Brighton fire investigators concluded the home had no smoke detectors and the fire started underneath an electric recliner. They determined a cord was pinched due to wear over time. 

Manfred Bohlke, founder of M. Bohlke Veneer Corp., died May 20 at 83.

Bohlke came to the United States as a timber buyer for a German veneer manufacturer in the early 1960s. His task was to buy the best quality veneer logs available. He founded M. Bohlke Veneer Corp. in 1966. 

"When he arrived for the first time in America, it was not just fine walnut logs that he found – it was a new home. With very little money saved, he went out on his own. Mr. Bohlke’s passion for wood paid off and continues to pay off fifty years later. Since then, Mr. Bohlke grew from a logger to a veneer manufacturer, then ultimately to the CEO of the M. Bohlke group of companies that specializes in wood products, including veneer, lumber, logs, spliced faces, and more."

Stephen E. “Gus” Welter Jr., age 57, of Prairie du Chien, died Saturday, May 24.

He began a career with Quality Wood Treating in Pittsburgh. Following the sale of Quality Wood Treating, Welter continued his employment with Universal Forest Products in Prairie du Chien, leading the extrusion plant expansion. In 2012, he followed his entrepreneurial passion by purchasing Granite Valley Forest Products in Marathon, Wisconsin, and later expanded the business. He also served on the NHLA Board of Directors since 2021, contributing to the Membership & Networking Services Committee and the Market Impacts Committee. He was a strong supporter of NHLA’s mission and an engaged sponsor of the NHLA Annual Convention. Gus also served on the Lake States Lumber Association board and was widely respected for his leadership, transparency, and deep commitment to the industry.

JUNE

Scout Anderson, the general manager of Contour Panel Components, died on June 21 following an accident with a drunk driver. He was 28.

Originally from The Colony, Texas, Anderson began his career in 2016 working construction with a local company, AG3 Building Solutions. Shortly after, Anderson transitioned to a leadership position in the closet industry with Contour Panel and Builder Closets, a Dallas-based company that supplies various builders and home organization & storage businesses.

JULY

Dr. Karl Busch, the Busch Group co-founder and co-owner, died on July 17. He was 96. 

In 1963, together with his wife Ayhan Busch, he founded Busch Vacuum Solutions with just 5,000 Deutsche Mark and over the decades, built it into a global enterprise with more than 2 billion dollars in revenue. More than 8,000 people in 44 countries worldwide work for the Busch Group, which consists of the two well-known brands Busch Vacuum Solutions and Pfeiffer Vacuum+Fab Solutions.

His life’s work continues to shape vacuum innovation across industries around the world, the company said.

He combined visionary thinking with an engineer’s love of detail. His groundbreaking inventions, like the Huckepack and R5 vacuum pumps for food packaging, were not just technical achievements. They were expressions of his commitment to practical solutions and product excellence. The design of the R5 was revolutionary and became the most successful vacuum pump design in the world, with millions sold.
 

Dylan Danielson, 32, shift operator, and his two young daughters, Hayven, age 12, and Fayeah, aged 8, who were waiting for him to get off work, died in the wood dust explosion and subsequent fires that occurred July 29 at Horizon Biofuels in Fremont, Nebraska.

The explosion occurred at the Horizon Biofuels facility shortly before noon on July 29, following a sudden release of dust or smoke from the tower, quickly followed by flames and a much-larger, major blast that caused significant structural damage. 

Danielson, the day shift operator, who had brought his two young daughters to work with him, as one of the girls had medical appointments in the afternoon, was trapped inside the collapsed structure and died. His two daughters, who were in the break room at the facility, also were killed in the explosion when portions of the tower and its adjacent structures collapsed, including the break room immediately north of the tower where the two girls were located.

SEPTEMBER

Leon Osborne, founder of Osborne Wood Products Inc., died Monday, September 22, 2025. He was 71.

Together with his wife, Janice, he founded Osborne Wood Products Inc. in 1979 and guided its growth into a nationally recognized supplier of wood components serving the kitchen and bath and furniture industries.

“He was involved in every aspect of the business from the very beginning,” a statement from the company said. “He navigated decades of challenges to form the trusted company that exists today. His involvement was imperative to the company’s continued success.”

OCTOBER

Charles “Chuck” Ross, a former owner of an architectural woodworking and furniture manufacturing firm who later transitioned into a business consultant helping woodworkers create exit strategies and maximize their wealth, has died. He was 70.

Ross, along with his wife Gayle, founded CA Ross Company, specializing in architectural woodworking and restoration, and later started the business consultancy firm, Ross Business Solutions.

As co-owner of Ross Business Solutions, Ross created exit strategies for his clients, enabling them to maximize their wealth, give the next generation the best chance for success, and exit in the manner they wish. While growing his own business, he accelerated the firm’s value through continuous quality, safety, and environmental systems and procedures, earning several certifications, including AWI QCP and FSC Leed Certified.

A respected speaker at numerous trade shows hosted by Woodworking Network, Ross was scheduled to speak on "Exit and Succession Planning in Action" in October at Wood Pro Expo, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when he died.

Habersham Furniture founder, Joyce Edwards Cash Eddy, died on October 24, 2024. She was 95.

Eddy was born on October 4, 1929, in Ravenna, Ohio. In 1972, drawing on her love for art, antiques, and design, she founded Habersham Furniture in Clarkesville, Georgia. Under her guidance, the company grew from a local artisan endeavor into a national brand.

Eddy's dedication to uplifting women in business earned her significant recognition. In 1984, she was honored as Business Woman of the Year, and in 1986, President Ronald Reagan recognized her as Georgia Business Woman of the Year during a White House briefing for women entrepreneurs.

Joyce retired from Habersham in 2016, entrusting the leadership of the company to her son Matt Eddy.

NOVEMBER

Dennis G. "Denny" Hickman, 65, of Emlenton, Pennsylvania, died Nov. 27 from pancreatic cancer.

A third-generation steward of the family business, Denny devoted his life to the lumber and hardwood industry. A 1980 graduate of National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) in Memphis, he returned home to Hickman Lumber and helped expand the company through hard work, innovation and an unwavering commitment to quality. 

He established the company's dry kilns and served the industry in leadership roles, being on the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association Board (2006 to 2012) and the Allegheny Hardwoods Utilization Group Board (2000 to present). He was also a longtime member of the National Wood Flooring Association.

In 2000, guided by a vision to honor the beauty of the region's timber, Denny founded Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring (AMHF). Under his leadership, the company became known nationwide for its craftsmanship and integrity. His expertise brought AMHF into high-profile projects - including Trump Tower, the Obama Presidential Center, the PSU Palmer Museum of Art and numerous museums and celebrity homes.