James F. Fusting Sr., carpeting executive

James Francis Fusting Sr., who owned a commercial carpeting business, died of cancer Feb. 24 at

College Manor Assisted Living in Lutherville. He was 90 and had lived at Mercy Ridge in Timonium and in Owings Mills.

Born in Baltimore and raised on Falls Road in Roland Park, he was the son of Erwin Fusting, a Crown Cork & Seal Co. executive and his wife, Marie Hammond. He attended Mount Washington Country School for Boys and was a 1946 graduate of Loyola High School at Blakefield. He earned a degree in business administration at then-Loyola College. He also took courses at Johns Hopkins University.

“He had an incredible work ethic. If something was tough, he persevered through it,” said his daughter, Deborah Lynn of Lutherville. “He was also incredibly present to his family, no matter how long his workday.”

Mr. Fusting joined textile manufacturer J.P. Stevens, was its East Coast marketing director and won sales awards. He later established J.F. Fusting, a carpet and rug distributor for the Mid-Atlantic area and had a showroom on Hickory Avenue in Hampden. In 1978 he started the Galleria International Ltd, a showroom for the interior design industry in Washington.

Mr. Fusting, a member of the International Furnishing and Design Association, was its 1995 national president.

He was member of the Roman Catholic Knights of Malta and the Serra Club of Baltimore. He made religious pilgrimages to Lourdes, France.

He performed with the Paint and Powder Club. He also played golf with friends and was an Orioles season-ticket holder. He was a fan of 1940s band music and had a large musical library.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Mount Washington, 1701 Regent Road, where he was a parish council member and incorporator.

In addition to his daughter, survivors include two other daughters, Patricia Dudley of Baltimore and Diane Green of Towson; two sons, Tom Fusting of Severna Park and Kevin Fusting of Bethesda; 20 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His wife of 66 years, Patricia Menzies, a homemaker, died in 2018. A son, James F. Fusting Jr., died in 2014.

—Jacques Kelly