Michael S. Klein, 50, chairman of the board of Klein Tools Inc., one of the world’s key producers of power hand tools and a Chicago-area family business whose expansion over the last decade he oversaw and helped engineer, died of cancer Monday, Sept. 10, in Lake Forest Hospital.
Klein Tools was founded in Chicago in 1857 by Mr. Klein’s great-great-grandfather, Mathias Klein, and the firm continues to be owned and managed by the Klein family.
The company, with headquarters in Skokie, doubled its sales during Mr. Klein’s tenure, an accomplishment attributed to Mr. Klein’s emphasis on customer service. The company is one of the leading producers of hand tools and other equipment for professional tradesmen in the United States.
“He was forward-thinking, but he was also easygoing. It was a good combination,” said his brother, Mathias III.
Mr. Klein was born in Chicago and worked summers in the family business while attending Loyola Academy in Wilmette. He continued at Klein Tools while earning his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1973 from Duke University. He received a master’s degree in business administration from Lake Forest School of Management in 1984.
Mr. Klein worked in the banking industry early in his career and met the former Gwen Howell at the Raleigh-Durham-area bank where both worked in the early 1970s. They married in 1975, the year he returned to the family business in Chicago.
He served as chairman of the Chicago Chapter of the Presidents Association from 1988 to 1990 and as a director of Boys Hope/Girls Hope. He was chairman of the board of Loyola Academy from 1993 to 1997.
Mr. Klein was diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago and was given just more than a year to live. In response, he devoted himself to his family and friends, far exceeding doctor’s predictions.
He coached grade school basketball at Holy Cross Catholic School in Deerfield and was a sports enthusiast who enjoyed skiing, golf and attending sporting events.”He packed a lot in there,” his brother said.
In addition to his brother and wife, Mr. Klein is survived by three sons, Michael II, Kevin and Derek; a daughter, Karen; his mother, Audrey S. Scalbom; two other brothers, Steven and Robert; and two sisters, Janice Rodda and Jeanne Harris.
A mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. Friday in Holy Cross Catholic Church, 724 Elder Lane, Deerfield.
