Industry legend Ed Sherman passed away on April 5 at age 83. A memorial service will be held Friday, April 8, 2022 at 3:00 PM at Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary FD1176, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona Del Mar, California.
I had the great pleasure of becoming friends with Ed and Linda Sherman almost immediately after I began reporting on the lighting industry in 1994. Ed, a former Pillsbury Co. executive who left the food industry in the 1970s to create his own lighting sales rep agency in Florida, called on the Lighting Showcase showroom owned by John and Trudy Hazel, whose daughter Linda worked at the family showroom. Later, Linda established her own sales career, becoming Nutone/Lightcraft’s first female sales rep and relocating to Southern California.
Ed credits the Dallas Market with changing his life in a profound way, when he was delighted to cross paths with Linda Sherman once again. While interviewing him for enLIGHTenment magazine’s Lighting Legend award, he told me, “I had dinner with Linda during the summer Dallas Market in 1986 — and the rest is history. We decided we wanted to share our lives together. I sold my company – which had grown to cover Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North & South Carolina – to the key people in my agency and moved to California in 1987. Having a loving partner in life and business has been the best choice of my life.”
Ed was the founding president of the NALR (National Association of Lighting Representatives) and was instrumental in establishing the first Dallas lighting industry event at the LaBaron hotel, which eventually evolved into Dallas Market we know today. He later became an active member of the American Lighting Association (ALA). He and Linda created the Pacific Lighting Agency in Southern California and together were the recipients of many sales awards from the manufacturers they represented.
“This is a relationship business and the most enjoyable part of it is the people: the customers, factory people, and other sales reps,” Ed told me. “I’ve made so many life-long friends worldwide over the past 50 years. I feel privileged to have been able to amass such a wealth of memories and experiences in this industry, making me a very lucky man.”
So very sorry to hear of the passing of Ed. He truly was one of the best at his craft of selling and did so much for our industry. Will be missed by many. Good bye for now my friend. My condolences to Linda and the rest of the family.
Ed was a class act and great Sales Representative. He never came without a bakery treat, keeping us up to date with the latest product his lines had to offer. May his memory be a blessing.