Bruce Fendell, an industry veteran who had worked for WSS, Fila, Adidas and numerous other firms, passed away on December 5.
Fendell had been fighting a battle with lung cancer over the last four months, according to his son, Harris Fendell.
Bruce Fendell had more than a 30-year history in the industry. Alongside of his father, Yale Fendell, Bruce Fendell was part of the last big Adidas push in the 1980’s when he was with the Ralph Libonati Co. (Libco). From 1996 to 2003, he was director of footwear and key account sales for Adidas America.
He later had roles as SVP sales for the On-Field division of Reebok International, VP of sales at Fila, and general manager of the Eddie Bauer Footwear division for Eastman Footwear. Other firms he worked for included Pony and Apex One. He was most recently SVP strategic planning at WSS, formerly Warehouse Shoe Sale/Eurostar.
The news stunned the footwear community and many of his long-time friends on Wednesday when it was first posted on Facebook.
He is survived by his wife, Audrey; his children, Harris and Rachel; his grandchildren, Asher and Reid; his mother, Sylvia; and his sister, Alyson.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 8, at 10:00 a.m. at Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, NJ.
A higher-education endowed scholarship in Bruce’s memory has been created with the Two Ten Footwear Foundation. Donations may be sent via check to: 144 Main Street, Waltham, MA 02451.
