Shelby Williams and Daniel Paul Chairs founder Manfred Steinfeld, 95, passed away on June 30th.
Steinfeld was born in Germany in 1924. At age 14, he came to the U.S., joining the army in 1943 to fight World War II, during which he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals.
After getting called back for the Korean War in 1950, Steinfeld founded Shelby Williams in 1954. During his tenure, the company produced 30 million chairs and employed 2,200 people. He sold the company in 1999.
Steinfeld and his wife of 70 years, Fern Goldman, also founded the U.S. Holocaust Museum in 1990, as his mother and sister had died in a concentration camp in 1945.
Manny received Hospitality Design magazine’s Platinum Circle award in 1987 and Humanitarian Award from HD in 1999. In 2002, he founded Daniel Paul Chairs, as well as online merchant Stack Chair Depot in 2005.
Alongside his wife, he awarded more than 500 scholarships at the University of Tennessee, Roosevelt University, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Brandeis University. In memory of his grandson Danny Paul, he established Danny Cunniff Park in Highland Park and Danny Cunniff Memorial Playground for Jewish Youth Services.
The book, A Life Complete: The Journey of Manfred Steinfeld published in 2013, chronicles his life story.
