Oscar Mayer Dead

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Oscar G. Mayer, retired chairman of the Wisconsin-based meat processing company that bears his name, has died at the age of 95.

Mayer's wife, Geraldine, said he died of old age Monday age at Hospice Care in Fitchburg.

He was the third Oscar Mayer in the family that founded Oscar Mayer Foods, which was once the largest private employer in Madison. His grandfather, Oscar F. Mayer, died in 1955 and his father, Oscar G. Mayer Sr., died in 1965.

Mayer retired as chairman of the board in 1977 at age 62 soon after the company recorded its first $1 billion year. The company was later sold to General Foods and is now a business unit of Kraft.

Mayer's first wife, Rosalie, died in 1998. He married Geraldine Fitzpatrick in 1999.

Comments

[Tenley]

I didn't know people "died of old age" anymore.

[vietveter]

Just the pnes without health insurance.

[JustMeLe]

My father was his gardener for years in Rancho Mirage, CA. Mr. Mayer was a very nice man. My condolences to his family. I'm sure he will be very missed.

[MsLiz]

I gotta respect a man who marries at age 85, and manages to live another ten years.

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

I had already decided to take chili cheese dogs to church tonight. OMW are the only hot dog I buy. Blessings to Oscar and his family.

[nylibgrrl]

Sounds a little odd for a Treehuggin­dirtworshi­per to be buying a product of one of the largest corporate meat processors.

Just sayin'...

[bushbehindbars]

Ditto. Just thinking the same thing.

[econ1]

95....I'm going to eat more hot dogs.

[peachykeen]

Good idea.....t­he Oscar Mayer diet.

[aznurse]

it's all the preservatives.

[Retrofuturistic]

Maybe they'll donate the Weiner Mobile to the Republican Party....

[Ethics101]

Excellent Smithers..­..........­..........­...

[JessWonderin]

Micheal Savage has the first bid in . . . .

[nylibgrrl]

lol, I wonder how many people will get that.

[mapleaforever]

He should be buried in the wienermobile.

In addition, the next hot dog race run by the Milwaukee Brewers should be delayed by a moment of silence.

[scornflakes]

As much as I love and respect Oscar Mayer, I still say that he was no Abe Frohman, Sausage King of Chicago.

[MightyMeno]

Ferris Bueller reference, for the win!

[Mudge]

I got a weenie whistle from Little Oscar who was throwing them out of the wienermobile when I was a kid.

Indeed Oscar Mayer was The King. They should put his image on a postage stamp.

[Avanti2]

When I was a kid in the 50's, I remember the Wiener Mobile was at many major events in Chicago including many weekend double header ball games at both the Sox's and Cub's Parks when they had 50 cent bleacher seats for kids. On those kid bleacher days, a hot dog was 10 cents, a drink was 5 cents and a bag of salted peanuts was 10 cents. I would mow three yards for 50 cents each during the week and that provided the $1.50 I needed for the weekend doubleheader. 50 cents bus and elevated transportation to and from the Ball Park, 50 cents for my bleacher ticket, 25 cents for two dogs and a drink and a bag of peanuts for 10 cents. After all that I had 15 cents left over to begin the next week. Oh such wonderful memories..­........

[Vote2bfree]

That does sound like wonderful memories. I can't go to the ballpark without having a hot dog and a bag of peanuts myself. Baseball is trully a beautiful thing.

[JeffmChicago]

I went to a White Sox game for the first time last year and it cost me about 10 dollars for a hot dog and bag of peanuts. Talk about sign of the times.

[hrholmes]

*SOB* I lost my weiner whistle...­.

[Laserbeam]

I remember when I was a little kid, the Oscar Mayer wiener truck came to our school. Must have been around first grade. It was SO cool!

I still have a plastic Oscar Mayer wiener whistle that I think dates back to the 50's, before I was born.

[local21]

I remember those wiener whistles. :)

[GaBu2]

R.I.P.

It's amazing, he got remarried at age 85..wow, that was one amazing dude.

[munki]

Wow... great life...

Thanks for the memory...
could we make it a bit healthier?

[700rpm]

No. That would miss the point.

[jcsophie]

I actually know the little boy in this commercial­....all grown up now. Too funny.