Ed Wernsing, 79

“Big Ed” Wernsing and wife Patty, after a weight-loss regimen earned him the revised nickname “Medium-Sized Ed.”

Patriarch of Wernsing’s Appliance was larger than life

YSN Staff 

Longtime BrandSource member Edwin Wernsing, known to all as “Big Ed,” died on May 11 of complications following a surgical procedure. 

Wernsing bought into his father’s Litchfield, Ill., TV and appliance business in 1968 and built Wernsing’s Appliance & Video & Sleep Center into a one-stop-shop for white goods, furniture, consumer tech and mattresses.  

He first graced the digital pages of YSN after the University of Illinois created the Alexis Wernsing Innovation Award in honor of his late daughter. Alexis, who was born with cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair, helped design a voice amplifying system for the disabled while pursuing an art history degree at the school. 

See: A Quiet Voice That Still Resonates 

Wernsing earned his nickname for his burly, six-foot-three, 340-pound build, which was matched by his outsized spirit. (He later slimmed down for health reasons, as chronicled by YSN.) 

A BrandSource member since 1992, he was active within the Greater Midwest Region, which named him its Dealer of the Year in 2005. Outside of work, he served his community as a Rotary Club president, member of the Litchfield Planning Commission and head of the Stewardship Committee of the local Zion Lutheran Church. He was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International for his work with PolioPlus, was voted Litchfield Citizen of the Year in 2009 and was a committed St. Louis Blues hockey fan. 

As YourSource founding publisher and Wernsing pal Andy Kriege wrote, “Nothing will ever diminish the size of his generous heart or his hearty, contagious laugh.” 

Wernsing is survived by family, including his wife Patricia and his son and business partner Douglas. Donations can be made to the Zion Lutheran Church or the Alexis Wernsing Innovation Award. 

YSN publisher AVB BrandSource is the nation’s largest merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, mattress, furniture and CE dealers. 

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