CHICAGO, Ill. — Two longtime industry operators, Bobby Landers and Charles Grant, passed away over the summer. Both were active and influential in the industry and will be missed by family and friends.Robert Daniell “Bobby” Landers passed away early this summer at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. He was 72.
Landers followed in his father’s footsteps to become a drycleaner. His operation regularly cleaned costumes for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus when it passed through Georgia.
He served terms as president and executive director of the South Eastern Fabricare Association (SEFA), and was a member of the International Drycleaning Congress (IDC) and Jolly Belin Club. He worked with the Korean Cleaners Association of Atlanta, and won many service awards for his efforts.
Among his passions were boating, fishing and traveling, and Landers often planned events for his family and church groups. Recent trips took Landers to Alaska and the Grand Canyon.
Landers was also known as an avid tinkerer, able to rebuild motors on the spot. These talents often proved useful in working with the Baptist church on construction projects in Botswana, Guatemala, Venezuela and Cambodia.
Landers was a loving and caring husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. He is survived by his loving wife, Helen; sons Mark and Daniell; daughter Lea Krueger; sister Jeanne Nash; and seven grandchildren.Charles Grant, a drycleaning businessman and industry leader, died this summer in Dallas. He was 84.
Born in Haworth, Okla., Grant served in the Army Air Corps in WWII. After being captured behind enemy lines, he was a held as a prisoner of war in Germany until the end of the European campaign.
Returning to America in 1946, Grant took up drycleaning as a profession, graduating from the National Institute of Drycleaning (NID) course in 1948. He was active in the industry, and served on several Texas Laundry & Drycleaning Association (TDLA) boards until his retirement in 1989.
Grant will be remembered as a dear friend, caring husband, and proud father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Juanita; a son, Tom, and his wife, Nancy; and two grandchildren. If you have a story or comment about Grant, e-mail it to [email protected].
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