Fred Lerman

Fayetteville, N.Y.—Fred Lerman, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., and longtime president of Lerman Carpet Corp., a flooring distributorship in upstate New York, passed away on Dec. 2 following a brief illness. He was 79.

After graduating from Syracuse University and following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Lerman eventually became president of the family business. “He was a leader in the floor covering business in upstate New York for more than 40 years,” said Lerman’s son, Stephen, who works for Beaulieu of America as a territory manager. “He had many friends in the flooring industry.”

Fred Lerman’s entire flooring career was spent in the family business, as he started in sales and worked his way up through the ranks. “I’m fourth generation,” Stephen added. “My dad’s father and grandfather started the business during the depression. My dad grew up in the business and was in it his whole life. He and my uncle ran the business in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Lerman Carpet eventually closed up shop in the ’90s.

“The best way to describe it was,” he explained, “they played good cop/bad cop, my dad being the good cop. He was a very warm person. There were very few customers or suppliers that would ever have anything negative to say about him.”

Outside of the industry, Lerman was a past president of the Friends of Art of Syracuse University and a board member of the Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music. “He loved his family, music, sailing, golf, his daily piano playing and writing letters to the editor,” said Stephen.

Lerman was predeceased by a son, Howard, and by a daughter, Nancy. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marilyn; their sons, Kenneth and Stephen; their daughter, Caryn; their grandchildren, Tyler, Josh and Alexis, and his brother, Bob.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in Fred Lerman’s memory be made to a charity of one’s choice.