Springfield food equipment company founder dies at 100

The co-founder of a more than 50-year-old Springfield-based food equipment supplier died late last month.

Wilbur Feagan, 100, died March 29. He co-founded F&H Food Equipment Co. in 1959 with Paul Higley.

Originally catering to small dairies and cheese plants in the Ozarks, the business has grown to represent 50 manufacturers and operate six offices in Missouri, Arkansas, California and Texas. The company now is a worldwide provider of sanitary processing equipment for the food, dairy, beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical industries, according to its website.

Employee-owned F&H expanded with the 1998 purchase of Special Products, a supplier of sanitary food processing equipment and supplies that was fully integrated into F&H in 2005. The company, which operates in Springfield at 1526 S. Enterprise Ave., opened its second facility in Springdale, Ark., in the early 1980s, followed by locations in St. Louis, St. Joseph, Dallas, and Tulare, Calif.

Funeral services for Feagan were scheduled April 5 at Gorman-Scharpf Brentwood Chapel, followed by a burial at Hazelwood Cemetery, according to his online obituary.

Born in Collinsville, Ill., Feagan started his career with the St. Louis Dairy Commission as a farm inspector, worked as a dairy plant engineer and later as a milk specialist for the state of Michigan. Following work in Kansas City and service in World War II, Feagan became a farm manager at Bonne Terre Farming and Cattle Co., later moving to the position of sanitary engineer for the Klenzade Co. He moved to Springfield to start F&H in 1959, according to his obituary posted to Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home's website.

Company officer Ed Donnell was unavailable for an interview this morning.[[In-content Ad]]