Linda L. Kohler

LINDA L. KOHLER Entrepreneur Linda L. Kohler, 62, died November 11, 2009, at her home in Fort Lauderdale, FL after a brief illness. She was born September 16, 1947, to Ernest and Anna Kohler in Harrisburg, PA and lived there until the family relocated to Sebring, FL in 1961. She was as 1966 graduate of Sebring High School, was a very accomplished French horn player, a member of the Sebring High School Marching Band and upon graduation was offered a scholarship to Julliard School of Music in New York. She attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL and Cambridge College in Boston, MA. In 1969 she and her father started Florida Containers in Sebring, a company that manufactured plastic egg cartons for Publix Supermarkets and made the first sandwich container for Hardees Roast Beef. She became President of the company when her father retired. In 1979 she was appointed to the White House National Task Force for Small Business Development by President Jimmy Carter. Additionally, in 1979, she was named the Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Florida. In 1980 she was read into the Congressional Record for Outstanding Contributions to the White House Conference on Small Business. Florida Containers was sold in 1985. After several years in the restaurant business in Tampa, FL, she began consulting for companies looking for new investors. In 1992, she relocated to Boston and established KC Marketing, a Brokerage Company for the seafood industry. Over the next 15 years she became the Vice President and General Manager of Avalon Bay, in Yuba City, CA, the Vice President of Special Channels for Aurora Foods, in St. Louis, MO, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Great Alaska Seafood, in Anchorage, AK and the President of Good Harbor Fillet in Gloucester, MA. In 2008, she accepted a position as Vice President and General Manager of Meal Delivery for Ediets, and returned to Florida. Linda loved to travel and had been all over the United States, as well as many European and South American countries. She had flown the Concorde and broken the sound barrier and was an avid reader, preferring biographies and motivational books. She loved all types of music, with a strong preference for Classical and was an accomplished cook who loved to entertain her friends. Linda is survived by her Son, David; Mother, Anna Kohler; Brother, Russell and two Grandsons, Joshua and Carson, all of Sebring; Susan Brewer, of Boston and many loving friends. Memorial Services will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 19, 2009, at Stephenson-Nelson Funeral Home, Sebring, Rev. Eugene Fernsler officiating. Arrangements are entrusted to: Stephenson-Nelson Funeral Home Sebring, Florida 33870 863-385-0125