Jim Gratton, who spent most of his career in mattress fabric sales, has died. He was 80 and resided in Vancouver, Washington.
Gratton spent more than three decades as a sales representative with the former Blumenthal Printworks. Following his retirement from Blumenthal in 2000, Gratton took courses in decorative- and faux-painting techniques and painted houses and interiors. But shortly thereafter, at 64, he accepted another sales position in the mattress industry, with nonwovens supplier Tietex. Following nine years with Tietex, and while in his mid-70s, Gratton formed Pacific Brokerage Co., becoming an independent manufacturer’s representative.
His wife, Donna Gratton, continues on in the business, serving as president. She told BedTimes that she and associate Cory Maxwell, who serves as vice president in charge of sales, are operating the business and “keeping Jim’s legacy alive.”
Jimmy Fleming, senior account manager for Tietex, remembered Gratton as “a hard-working, great guy who was loved by everyone.”
Gratton was born May 9, 1936, in Boise, Idaho. He served in the U.S. Army and lived in Salt Lake City and the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Vancouver 25 years ago. He enjoyed exercise and the outdoors, including running, working out and hiking. He also was a woodworker and enjoyed refinishing and decorating furniture.
According to Donna Gratton, her husband’s greatest passion (and hers) was dancing—from country and western to Dixieland jazz. “He danced right up to the very end,” she said.
In addition to his wife, Gratton is survived by four sisters and a brother.
