Newhall, Calif.—Like most of his family, it was only a matter of time before Tom Egan got into the flooring industry. His father, Joe Egan, had spent a lifetime in flooring sales. And, for nearly five decades, it was “like father, like son,” as the younger Egan carved out quite a career for himself. On Dec. 2, Ted Egan passed away from complications of diabetes. He was 71 years old.

Starting with Metropolitan Distributors in Los Angeles where he was a sales manager, Egan embarked on what would become a lifetime in the broadloom business. Following the sale of Metropolitan to E.T.C. Carpets, he stayed on and worked with E.T.C.

Egan later became vice president of Western States with Coronet Carpets. He was also with Lees as a salesman as well as Catalina Carpets. Egan’s younger brother, Dennis, is also in the flooring industry, as is his sister, Jacquie, who has worked in the retail segment for 25 years.

“One of the best testimonials to my brother was a recent memorial service which drew approximately 275 people to the church,” said Dennis Egan, vice president of sales for Berry Floors, part of the Beaulieu Group. “The turnout was re-markable. Many in the industry attended who had heard about his passing through word of mouth. Ted’s wife was very surprised at how many people made an effort to come out for a Saturday morning service. The church was basically full. Ted had a friend, a Bishop, who flew in for the memorial service. The poor guy was almost in tears.

“My brother was well respected,” he added, “and always conducted himself in a respectful manner, treating people around him with a lot of respect, as my father did before him. He came from a long history of it.

“Ted was a always consummate optimist and a very hard working guy,” continued Egan. “If he could have he would have worked until the day he fell over. Unfortu-nately, he was very frustrated toward the end of his life with various health issues. He had a rough go of it the last few years.”

Ted Egan is survived by his wife of 49 years, Kathleen; six children—three sons, Dr. Jim Egan, John and Michael, and three daughters, Judy, and twins Donna and Diana. He had 12 grandchildren.