S. Truett Cathy, founder of the multi-billion dollar boneless chicken sandwich chain, Chick-fil-A, died on Monday, September 8, 2014 after a long illness.
According to a statement by his representatives, Mr. Cathy passed away quietly at his home surrounded by his loved ones. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jeannette McNeil Cathy; sons Dan T. and Don “Bubba” Cathy; daughter Trudy Cathy White; 19 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
Mr. Cathy was renown for his religious beliefs as well as his business acumen. Chick-fil-A has remained famously closed on Sundays since its founding. He came under fire for his strong conservative politics and for providing financial contributions to organizations campaigning against same sex marriage. At the time of Mr. Cathy’s death the Chick-fil-A chain was said to have annual sales of $5 billion and have some 1,800 stores in 39 states.
Cathy opened his first postwar diner in an Atlanta suburb in 1946 and by 1967 he had founded and opened his first Chick-fil-A Inc. restaurant in Atlanta. Over ensuing decades, the chain’s boneless chicken sandwich he is credited with inventing would propel Chick-fil-A expansion to more than 1,800 outlets in 39 states and the nation’s capital. By early 2013, the company says on its website, annual sales topped $5 billion as the chain offered up a taste of the South that went beyond chicken to such offerings as sweet tea, biscuits and gravy.
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