John Wells Puth

John Wells Puth, age 94, of Winnetka, Illinois and Hobe Sound, Florida, passed away quietly on October 14, 2023. Born in Orange, New Jersey in 1929, John served in the Army from 1946 to 1947, returning home to attend Lehigh University. There he met his wife Betsey, who attended nearby Moravian College. John graduated Cum Laude in 1952 before beginning his long and successful business career, first in several marketing positions, culminating in his promotion to Advertising and Marketing Manager at Purolator Products in Rahway, New Jersey. In 1961, John was appointed President and CEO at Bridgeport Hardware Inc., a subsidiary of Purolator. John and family then relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he became Group Vice President of HK Porter, leading its Disston Division, where he greatly expanded and refocused the company's product lines. This ultimately led to a successful IPO and rechristening of the company to Disston, Inc. In 1975, John was named President and CEO of Vapor Corporation in Niles, Illinois, prompting a move to Winnetka. Following the sale of the company, John served as Chairman, President and CEO of Clevite Industries in the 80's, leading the company through a leveraged buyout, IPO, and sale of the company to the Pullman Corporation in 1987. John served as a corporate director of some twenty-three companies; fifteen of them public, and guided a number of institutional buyouts of small to medium manufacturing companies. Among those, John served on the board of directors of L. B. Foster, Pittsburgh; A.M. Castle & Company, Franklin Park, IL; Lindberg Corporation and Allied Products Corporation, Chicago, IL; V.J. Growers, Apopka, FL; U.S. Freightways, Inc. of Rosemont, IL; George T. Schmidt of Niles, IL; and Brockway Std. of Atlanta, GA. John served in a number of other consulting positions with various firms and funds in the Chicago area. In 1994, John founded a successful investment partnership, serving as General Partner until 2022 and remaining an active partner until his passing. Equally active in civic life, John served as President and Trustee of Hadley School for the Blind, Trustee of Lehigh University, Board of Directors of the Iaccoca Institute, and was an active member of Kenilworth Union Church. He was also a long-time member of Chicago Club, Economics Club, and Commercial Club. John was an avid golfer and a member at Indian Hill Country Club, Old Elm Club and Loblolly Pines Club. John was the beloved husband of Betsey Leeds Puth, née Tait, for 71 years, loving father of David Wells (Leslie) Puth and Jonathan Craig (Mira Courpas) Puth and the late Alison Leeds Puth; proud grandfather of Aydan (Rowan) Acebes, Colin Puth, Kira (Jackson) Kramer, Asher E. Puth and Annika Puth; also the dear great grandfather of Wilder Acebes and kind brother of the late Nancy Gilmore Petersen. A private interment will be held at Kenilworth Union Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Kenilworth Union Church, 211 Kenilworth Avenue, Kenilworth, IL 60093. Info: donnellanfuneral.com or 847-675-1990