Brunswick, Maine—Herbert E. Doerr, Jr., former vice president of sales and executive vice president of Philadelphia Carpet Company, passed away here on October 7, 2010 at the age of 92.
Doerr was born in Philadelphia in 1917, educated at Germantown Academy and went to work for the family firm, Philadelphia Carpet Co. He was the great grandson of the founder of the company and started in the factory in 1936. After working in all departments, Doerr was sent to San Francisco, St. Louis, and Boston for five years as a salesman. He returned to Philadelphia in 1942 and was made vice president of sales in 1945. With the advent of tufting, he and his brother, John, purchased the Mylu Carpet Co. of Cartersville, Ga., and sold its entire output through Philadelphia Carpet.
In 1958, he was sent to Japan and after starting Horizon Carpet Company, imported carpet from Japan for a short period of time. Shortly after, he sold Horizon in order to concentrate his efforts on the woven and tufted business.
In 1960, when it was obvious that Philadelphia Carpet was going to be sold, Doerr left the company and purchased Suwanee Carpet in Chattanooga, Tenn. In 1967, Morgan Mills purchased H. E. Doerr & Co., formerly Suwanee, and moved it to Laurel Hill, S.C., where he stayed on as president of the division. Morgan Mills sold the plant in 1971 to Fieldcrest and it became the tufted division of Karastan.
As a member of the Merchandising Committee of the American Carpet Institute, he represented his father at the Board of Directors meetings. He retired in 1970 and resided recently in Maine.
Doerr married Eleanor Zander in 1941. They had three children of whom one son, William, survives. Eleanor died in 1981 and in 1986 Herbert remarried. He and his second wife, Alice, have lived in Brunswick for ten years.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions, may be sent to Germantown Academy, 340 Harris Rd., P.O. Box 287, Ft. Washington, PA, 19034.