William Anixter

Loving husband, father, grandfather and "pal" to so many, William Raymond Anixter, of Chicago and Scottsdale, died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday May 8, 2016. He is survived by his wife, Nancy A Anixter, and his six children, Greg Anixter and wife Claudia Anixter, Julie Anixter and husband Robert Shadur, Carol Anixter and husband Ed Orlowsky, Amy Anixter Scott and husband W. Gill Woodall, Mari Anixter and Jason Max Anixter, and his grandchildren Jason William Anixter, Ashley Anixter, Ben Forgan, Kylie Forgan, Audrey Scott, Allegra Smith, and Gigi Smith. He was the son of Julius "Loving Putty" and Zelda Anixter. Bill Anixter was a World War II veteran who was part of the 4th Armored Division, Third Army under General Patton. He was wounded in action in a battle in which only 15 of his company survived and received a Purple Heart. After a stint at the Command Headquarters in London, he returned to Chicago and attended Northwestern University on the GI Bill. He moved to Highland Park, IL to raise his family. He was well known for founding Anixter Bros., later Anixter Inc., in 1957 with his brother, Alan B. Anixter with an initial loan of $10,000 they received from their mother Zelda. Anixter Bros, was the world's first wire & cable distribution company with a real time inventory system and hub and spoke network warehouse system that pre-dated Amazon by decades. The company went public in 1967 and grew to approximately 2,000 employees, more than 100 global locations and over $500M in sales before Bill and his brother sold it to Sam Zell in 1986. The success of the company was based on the renowned culture of service that they provided to their customers as well as a unique concept of employee relations he and his brother initiated from the very start of the company. Bill always maintained that Anixter Bros. was a "family company" and every employee was part of the family. Tributes to Bill Anixter from friends and former employees began pouring in to the family the moment they heard he had passed away on Mother's Day. Following his long ownership of Anixter Bros., Bill served on the Boards of The Armand Hammer United World College and the Foundation for the Boys and Girls Club of Scottsdale, Arizona. He also became Chairman of the Board of A-Z Wire & Cable working with nephew, Jim Anixter, and his good friend Ray Geraci in another wire and cable distribution company in Northbrook, IL. Bill Anixter was known far and wide for his generosity of spirit, his humor, his common touch and for that "twinkle in his eye" that made everyone feel they were always with their very best friend and "pal". Services will be held at Hansen Desert Hills Chapel, 6500 East Bell Road, Scottsdale Arizona, 85254, (480) 991-5800 on Saturday, May 14th at 2:00PM. To honor Bill, the family would request in lieu of flowers your donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Scottsdale, AZ or Chicago, IL. Please visit www.hansenmortuary.com to place online condolences.