QUILT HISTORY STORIES
ELGIN, ILLINOIS
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
LeeWard Mills and Lee Wards Story
Book 7
Susan Wildemuth, Atkinson, IL
History of Sidney C. Fink and Ralph A Fried
(Founders of LeeWard Mills and LeeWards)
Sidney C. Fink
Courtesy of Roger Fink
Sidney C. Fink was born in Brooklyn, New York between 1905 and 1907 to Mr. and Mrs. Louis Fink, whose maternal ancestry can be traced back to Russia.(1) He left school his sophomore year, entered the work force, and discovered an affinity for sales and a love of travel.(2) A pajama salesman during the Depression, this New York native was a success at his trade because he knew “selling” was an art and he knew his craft. He studied its nuances, implementing innovative techniques to sell his product to customers throughout his territory. He married Illinois native Edna Fried, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Fried and sister to Ralph A. Fried, on December 15, 1935.(3)
Edna and Sidney Fink had three children Roger, James and Barbara (Fink) Rubenstein.(4) Sidney and his brother-in-law Ralph A. Fried went into business together after WWII, creating a company in Elgin, Illinois which would become known throughout the United States as LeeWards. Sidney made Illinois his home during his LeeWards years, but after leaving the company he eventually moved to Spain.(5) His obituary states that Sidney Fink passed away on May 24, 1984 in Spain at the age of 78.(6) He was interred at Shalom Memorial Park, Palatine, Illinois. (7)
Ralph A. Fried
Courtesy of Katie Block
Ralph A. Fried (pronounced Freed, not Fryed) was born to Russian immigrants Mr. and Mrs. Harry Fried in Chicago, Illinois on August 14, 1910.(8) The Fried family business was selling shoes and even during the Depression, when other businesses folded up, they were able to weather the storm. Mr. Fried had three years of college under his belt when WWII broke out.(9) Unmarried, he enlisted in the Air Corps at Patterson Field in Fairfield, Ohio April 1942 and would stay in-service until about 1945-46.(10) During this time period, he married his wife Lois and they were later blessed with three children Edward, David, and Katherine “Katie.”(11) Ralph’s daughter Katie describes her father this way, “My father was incredibly warm and intuitive about people. He had a sense of humor that was dry and was probably one of the funniest guys I ever met. It was the way he looked at things; nothing ever really disturbed him and he wasn’t easily roused. My dad was my inspiration.”(12) When the war ended, Ralph went into business with Sidney C. Fink, his sister Edna’s husband, and together the dynamic duo of Fink and Fried created LeeWards of Elgin, Illinois. Mr. Fried spent a portion of his retirement years living in Florida and Highland Park, Illinois. He was known as a philanthropist who gave to many charities including the South Cook County Jewish Federation, Jewish United Fund, and American Jewish Congress.(13) Ralph A. Fried passed away on July 10, 1991 at the age of 80 years old.(14) He was survived by his wife Lois, his children Edward, David, and Katherine, his brother Bernard, and his sister Edna.(15)
