Sidney Wax

Sidney Wax made name in home projects

By Amy Martinez

Seattle Times business reporter

Sidney Wax had a "never-quit" attitude in business and life.

Before local do-it-yourselfers had Home Depot or Lowe's, they had Wax and Raine.

But it wasn't the catchiest of names for a home-improvement business, so co-founders Sidney Wax and David Raine encouraged people to think of candles and the Seattle weather.

The name stuck, even after they sold the business in the early 1970s and the name changed.

Steve Weidner recalls accompanying Mr. Wax, his father-in-law, to a doctor appointment nearly two decades later.

"The doctor came into the room and said, 'I remember Wax and Raine — wax as in candle, rain like Seattle,' " Weidner said, repeating the old slogan. "I about fell off my chair. It had been — what? — 18 years since the name had been around."

Mr. Wax, who built the business from a single Seattle store to several locations across the Puget Sound area, died Jan. 26 of pneumonia at the Brighton Gardens senior-living facility in Bellevue. He was 97.

He was born in San Francisco in 1910 as one of five children to a business owner and a homemaker. His father died in the early 1920s, and Mr. Wax dropped out of the eighth grade to run the family furniture store.

"He was self-taught," said Zollie Volchok, former general manager of the Seattle Sonics and a friend to Mr. Wax. "He handled himself beautifully."

Mr. Wax went on to try other businesses. As a furrier in San Francisco, he met his first wife, Lee Raine, a model and Seattle native he married in 1939.

After World War II, he moved to Seattle and started Wax and Raine with his brother-in-law, buying and selling closeout merchandise in what was a precursor to today's home-improvement stores.

"He was always looking for a deal," Weidner said. "He'd fly to the Georgia mills and work directly with them for carpeting and floor covering."

Mr. Wax told family members that the business was propelled to success by the 1962 World's Fair and the money that local residents spent sprucing up their homes.

After selling the business to Standard Brands in 1972, he settled into semiretirement — golfing, traveling and supporting Variety Club International.

Lee Raine died in 1976.

In 1981, Mr. Wax married Marilyn Rogers Stutz, and they spent winters in Palm Springs, Calif.

The "never-quit" attitude that made Mr. Wax a successful businessman also showed in his personal relationships.

"He asked my mother multiple times over several years and tried to persuade her to marry him," recalled stepdaughter Ellen Stutz Weidner. "He didn't give up."

Mr. Wax belonged to Glendale Country Club in Bellevue and was part of an informal group of businessmen who met once a week for lunch and a movie.

Volchok, a member of that group, remembers that Mr. Wax rarely missed a meeting. He describes Mr. Wax as "quite a character. His personality was such that he was not shy about anything."

Mr. Wax is survived by a son, Herb Wax of Seattle, and four stepchildren: Jeffrey Stutz and Brian Stutz, both of Toronto; and Jonathan Stutz and Ellen Stutz Weidner, both of Bellevue. He also is survived by 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Services for Mr. Wax were held Sunday at Butterworth Funeral Home in Seattle. Donations may be made to Jewish Family Services or the Caroline Kline Galland Home.

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003554547_waxobit0..., Saturday, February 3, 2007

Sidney Wax died in Bellevue on January 26, 2007, the morning of his 97th birthday. He was born in San Francisco in 1910.

In his life, Sid personified the classic American success story. In San Francisco, he helped raise three brothers and a sister. His family moved to Stockton, Calif. where, after the death of his father Harry, he was forced to dropout of 8th Grade to run the family furniture store. An entrepreneur at heart, Sid started as an apprentice in the fur business, then founded a fur design and manufacturing business with his older brother. The enterprise was interrupted by World War II, during which he served at Fort Lee, Va.

In 1939, Sid married Lee Raine in San Francisco and in 1942 the couple had their son, Herb Wax. After the war, Sid moved to Seattle, his wife’s hometown, and went into business with his brother-in-law buying and selling closeout merchandise.

He was a local icon as the president and co-founder of the home-improvement store remembered by many local Seattle people as “Wax and Raine” (Wax as in candle, Raine like Seattle). He later sold his business to Standard Brands in 1972. He credited the success of his business to the Seattle World Fair and the pride Seattle-ites took in improving their homes in preparation for the fair.

In 1976, Lee died. Sid married his second wife, Marilyn Rogers Stutz, in 1981. Sid and Marilyn enjoyed retirement traveling and spending winters in Palm Springs, Calif. Marilyn died in November 2005.

Sid was a kind, gracious, and humble man who had a special way of connecting with people. His greatest credit was the friendships he had with so many people, many lasting more than 50 years.

Sid was a lifetime member of Variety Club International, a 32nd-degree Freemason, a Shriner, and long-time member of Temple De Hirsch Sinai. For over 50 years, he was also a member of Glendale Country Club — at the time of his death he was their oldest living member.

Sid is survived by children Herb Wax, Jeffery (Shirley) Stutz, Brian (Dean) Stutz, Jonathan (Stacie) Stutz, and daughter Ellen Stutz (Steven) Weidner; grandchildren Anne-Marie (Matt), Jack, Brett (Rachel), Elliott, Adam, Eric, Katie, Jaclyn, Sterling, Blair, Morgan; and great-grandchildren Taylor, Jack, Shoham and Shelhevet.

Remembrances may be made to Jewish Family Service or the Caroline Kline Galland Home

Source: http://www.jtnews.net/index.php?/lifecycle/P125/

SSDI:

SIDNEY WAX 26 Jan 1910 26 Jan 2007 (V) 98006 (Bellevue, King, WA) (none specified) 569-30-9973 California