Obituary: Susie Lehr, 52

Showroom owner Susie Lehr died of an apparent brain aneurysm, said her friend Joy Ferrara.

She was found unconscious in her 39th Street showroom on Oct. 20 in New York and was later pronounced dead by authorities. Lehr was 52.

At the time of her death, she owned Susie Lehr Associates, a showroom that represented contemporary apparel and accessories lines such as Claude Brown, Kate McHale and Tarah Smith.

Before moving to New York, she spent several years in Los Angeles, working in the California Mart (now the California Market Center) as a sales manager for Pasadena, Calif.–based manufacturer MAX Studio and in various wholesale capacities for Metropole, Bis and David Dart. She also spent several years as a buyer for Neiman Marcus.

“She was a wonderful person who will be missed,” said Ferrara, owner of the Fresh showroom in the Cooper Design Space in Los Angeles.

“She was a warm, congenial and positive person,” added her friend Darlene Valle, who owns a showroom in The New Mart in Los Angeles. “She was very spiritual and genuinely warm. I don’t think I ever saw her in a bad mood.”

Added designer Claude Brown: “She had a great amount of experience and vast knowledge of the market. She was extremely well-respected.”

Lehr was born in Baton Rouge, La., where she is survived by two brothers. —Robert McAllister