Louis Wiley Sr.

Wiley, Louis Sr. (85) Louis Wiley, Sr., retired Chairman of Superba Cravats, died at home in Savannah, GA, on January 6, 2003. He formerly lived in Rochester, NY, Greensboro, NC and Los Angeles, CA.
Born in Rochester, where he attended Harley School, he graduated in 1936 from Phillips Academy Andover and in 1940 received a B.A. from Yale University. In 1947 he attended New York University School of Business. As an Eagle Scout in his youth, he attended the 1936 Boy Scout International Jamboree in Hungary, an event he recalled throughout his life. From 1942 to 1946, Mr. Wiley served in the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of Lt. Senior Grade. Like so many others of "the greatest generation" he was reluctant to talk about his wartime experiences as a gunnery officer on a destroyer in the Pacific. In later years, he recalled the time when he was put off ship on an island due to illness. The ship sailed on and was lost in a typhoon in the China Sea. He felt very lucky and thankful for his survival. After the war, Mr. Wiley resumed work at Superba Cravats, the family neckwear business founded by his grandfather H. C. Cohn in 1873. Superba Cravats is the oldest continuous maker of men's ties in the nation. In 1949 Mr. Wiley moved to Greensboro, where he became one of the company's most successful salesman traveling throughout the South until 1971. He returned to Rochester to become Vice President of Sales and Chairman of the Board. In 1977 he took on the additional duties of President and Chief Operating Officer and engineered the company's move to Los Angeles. He remained active with the company until 1985 when he retired. In 1993 he moved to Savannah, GA, where he lived at The Landings and the Savannah Square Retirement Community. Mr. Wiley was an avid bridge player, winning several duplicate tournaments. He played a mean game of scrabble, coining many new words. He also enjoyed golf for many years. While he had two certified holes-in-one and many good rounds, he would have been the first to note how frustrating it can be to get that little white ball to go where one wants it. Mr. Wiley was a shy, quiet and generous man with a wry, playful sense of humor. He will be missed by his family and friends. The son of Julian Wiley, Sr. and Florence Cohn Wiley, he was predeceased by his brother Julian Wiley, Jr. He lost his second wife, Loyce Cox Wiley, in 1995. He is survived by his sister Peggy Green of Rochester; two sons by his first marriage, Louis Wiley, Jr. of Swampscott, MA and Bruce Wiley of Metairie, LA; two grandchildren, Jonathan and Elizabeth Wiley of Metairie, and three nephews. He will be especially missed by his companion and friend Ruth Slesinger. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Bethesda Home for Boys, 9520 Ferguson Ave. Savannah, Georgia 31406, or to Baden Street Settlement, 152 Baden Street, Rochester, NY 14605, the favorite charity of Mr. Wiley's mother. A private service for the family will be held on Sunday, January 12 in Savannah. Sipple Mortuary and Crematory Funeral Directors Savannah