KENNER, La. — Norvin L. Pellerin, the co-founder of Pellerin Milnor Corp., a leading industrial laundry equipment manufacturer, died Monday, the company reports.
“Norvin took pride in offering the very best to his customers, family, and friends throughout the world,” Milnor says. “He was a true visionary, who held 18 patents for various laundry machinery and pioneered top-transfer continuous batch washing. … Norvin’s design and engineering expertise, as well as his leadership, revolutionized the laundry industry.”
Pellerin won many awards, including Tulane University’s School of Engineering Alumnus of the Year in 1996, the National Association of Institutional Linen Management (now the Association for Linen Management) Hall of Fame in 1998, The Rudolph Maglin Lifetime Achievement Award for Associate Members from TRSA in 2004, and the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Laureate in 2012.
Surviving Pellerin are his wife of 63 years, Sue; two sons, Jim Pellerin and Curtis Pellerin; two daughters, Julie Bukrey and Renee Gordon; 13 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
There will be a wake at 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday (tomorrow) at Lakelawn Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., in New Orleans. Funeral mass will be said Saturday at 10 a.m., with a private internment to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to either the Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans (5100 Orleans Ave., New Orleans, LA 70124) or the Willis and Mildred Pellerin Foundation that awards merit-based college scholarships (P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063).
A memorial website has been established for those who wish to share stories and photos of Pellerin. Memorial donations may also be made through the website via PayPal.
