Melvyn Wolff, Of Star Furniture Fame, Dies At 86

HOUSTON, TX — Melvyn Wolff was the embodiment of the American Dream: He was the son of a Russian immigrant, did his service in the U.S. military, and took his family's small furniture business to heights unexpected, moves that eventually saw it being purchased by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. It was a good life indeed.

Wolff, who was 86, died on Thursday in Houston. Star Furniture was his brand, and he took over after his father had a heart attack. The company is now one of the nation's most successful furniture stores, and Wolff remained active in it even after it sold to the famous billionaire from Nebraska.

Melvyn Lee Wolff was born on May 12, 1931, at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, to Boris and Fannie Wolff. His father became a part owner of Star Furniture, at the time a small concern. Wolff attended school in Austin, at the University of Texas, but was forced to return to Houston after his father suffered a heart attack.

Wolff enrolled at the University of Houston, and earned a business degree.

"It didn't have a lot of respect as an educational institution," Wolff, referring to the university, told the Houston Chronicle. "But it had a certain quality level, and it provided a business education for those who reached out and wanted it."

After his father died, Wolff took over the business, which was sold to Buffett in 1997. He and his wife, Cyvia, contributed to many causes in the Houston area, and endowed a department at the University of Houston.

Wolff is survived by his wife, the former Cyvia Rose Grossberg, their children, Carrie Boudreaux and Curtis Wolff, granddaughter Sherrie Boudreaux, sister Shirley Toomin, along with many nieces and nephews.