Clarence Edward Webster

Webster, Clarence Edward ‘Ed” 95 of Plantation passed away October 13, 2016 after Complications from Alzheimer’s. Survived by his current wife of 28 years Audrey Cheston, Children Barbara McGrath, Beverly Ann Jenkins, William Webster and Wife Helen, Robert Webster and wife Lisa, stepson Richard Cheston and wife Laura, stepdaughter Patricia Cheston Atwell and husband James and 26 grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Alice Margaret Kienlen in 1985, and his brother John in 2005. He was born in St. Peter, Minnesota to William and Florence Wolfe. He proudly served with the US Navy during WWII in the Pacific Theater serving aboard PT Boats . After completing military service, Mr. Webster, affectionately known by family, friends and business associates as “Big Ed”, moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1946 from his home state of Minnesota. He founded Broward Sport Shops along with a business partner the same year. The Sporting Goods firm’s presence was one of the first in the South Florida market and initially operated out of a downtown location currently occupied by the Broward County Governmental Center on Andrews Avenue. He was the first to open retail locations in the suburbs starting at open air shopping plaza in Coral Ridge and moving into retail malls such as Lauderhill which was the county’s first in the 1960’s. In addition to retail locations, the company serviced Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties with institutional sales reps calling on area youth leagues, cities, colleges and all professional sports teams including the Dolphins, Heat, Panthers and Marlins. During the 70’s and 80’s, Mr. Webster launched additional retail locations in shopping malls under the Webster’s Sport Centers name. These included Cutler Ridge, Westland, Dadeland, Aventura, Pompano Square, Boca Raton and Palm Beach. Mr. Webster was a pioneer in the sports industry. He was the first District 10 Administrator for Little League Baseball which operated out of Holiday Park. He served as a Director for the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA). His business won numerous national awards and was rated in the Top 20 for several years. He was an active member in the Brian Piccolo Chapter of the Touchdown Club working with the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel paper, honoring local athletes who exceled on and off the field. Upon his retirement in 1986 and having lost his first wife Alice to cancer the previous year, he focused his recreational time on golf, which he loved. His home course was Fort Lauderdale Country Club where he met and later married his current wife Audrey of 28 years. He also served as President of the Country Club. Ed was blessed with excellent health for the better of 85 years. At that point he began to show signs of dementia which evolved into Alzheimer’s. He battled the disease for nearly 10 years before passing at the age of 95. Visitation will be Monday at the T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home 7001 NW 4 Street Plantation from 9:30 Am until the service time. A prayer service will be held at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery. In his memory the family suggests donations to Vitas Hospice or the Alzheimer’s Association of South Florida. To read more visit tmralph.com 954 587-6888