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In Memoriam: Leonard “Lenny” Friedman, Founder of Sarah Leonard Jewelers February 13, 2014 (0 comments)
Los Angeles, CA—The retail jewelry world has lost another pioneer. Leonard (Lenny) Friedman died February 7, at age 95—one day shy of his 96th birthday.
Friedman, along with his wife Sunny, who predeceased him in October 2013 at age 91, founded Crescent-Westwood Jewelers in 1946 in Westwood Village, near Hollywood. Following a legal challenge over the Crescent name from the chain jeweler of the same name, the Friedmans’ store was renamed Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers in 1998.
Throughout his 67 years in the jewelry industry, Friedman (pictured at top left with Sunny) was known as the happiest jeweler in the industry, and certainly one of its most prominent leaders among independent jewelers. A firm believer in service to both industry and community, Friedman’s many accolades include serving as president of the California Jewelers Association; president of the Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California; being inducted into the National Jeweler Hall of Fame; the Distinguished Service Award from the American Gem Society, earning a family-owned business award from the Los Angeles Business Journal, chairman of California Jewelers’ trade tours; president of the Westwood Village Kiwanis Club, president of the Westwood Village Merchants Association; and a member of the American Gem Society, Jewelers’ Security Alliance, Jewelers’ Vigilance Committee, Westwood Village Rotary and many, many others.
Following a World War II tour of duty in the U.S. Army from 1942-1946, Friedman received his Graduate Gemologist diploma in 1950. He also has received commendations from Mayor Tom Bradley, numerous congressman, senators, city councilman and county supervisors. He and Sunny even were selected as the “Ideal Couple” in a 10-part series about romance on NBC-TV in Los Angeles. The Friedmans, said NBC, have it all: life’s work together, children, and still a good old-fashioned romance.
Lenny Friedman is survived by son David and daughter-in-law Gail, son Don, daughter Linda Abell and son-in-law Jeff Abell, and grandchildren Arianne (Rob) Walker, Jordana (Samuel) Feinberg, Risa Friedman, Aaron Friedman, and Dean (Lara) Abell, who is active in the business, as well as four great-grandchildren.
The family requests donations in Friedman’s memory be made to the Westwood Village Rotary Club, P.O. Box 24114, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.