The floral industry lost several professionals whose contributions won’t be forgotten. If there are other professionals you’d like to remember, please include their names and a link to their obituary or your memories of them in the comments at the end of this article.
Del Demaree 1937-2023
Del Demaree Jr., AAF, a second-generation owner of Syndicate Sales and past president of the Society of American Florists whose product innovations left an indelible mark on the industry, died Jan. 2. He was 85.
Wilton Hardy 1936-2023
Wilton Hardy, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, an award-winning designer, well-known educator and the 1994 recipient of the Society of American Florists’ Tommy Bright Award, died April 19. He was 86.
Frankie Shelton 1924-2023
Frankie Shelton, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, an internationally recognized designer, pioneering floral educator and 1989 recipient of the Society of American Florists’ Tommy Bright award, died July 15. She was 99.
Kathleen “Katie” Kennicott 1936-2023
Kathleen “Katie” Kennicott, who became a beloved fixture in the floral industry over six decades as she worked alongside her husband, Harrison “Red” Kennicott, AAF, at the Chicago-based flower wholesaler Kennicott Brothers, died Oct. 13. She was 86.
Kenneth Royer 1931-2023
Kenneth R. Royer, one of the founders of Royer’s Flowers in central Pennsylvania, the 2021 inductee into the Floriculture Hall of Fame and a past member of SAF’s board of directors, died on Dec. 14. He was 92.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF News Now.
