Chrisopher B Asplundh Sr

Christopher Brooke Asplundh Sr., 77, of Huntingdon Valley, the last of the second-generation executives of the family-owned Asplundh Tree Expert Co. who led the firm through exponential growth and changes in the utility tree-trimming business, died Thursday, August 10 2017. Chris was the son of the late Carl Hjalmar Asplundh, one of the three brothers who founded the Asplundh Tree Expert Co. in 1928. Mr. Asplundh started in 1957 as a ground man on a climbing crew that trimmed trees during the summer. In the 1950s, Asplundh had just begun to manufacture bucket trucks from which arborists cleared the branches near Philadelphia Electric Co. lines in the city and suburbs. Before his election as company president in 1992, he was overseeing the operations of 12 national field divisions, as well as the national safety department. His cousins and brothers Carl Jr. and Edward shared in the growth of the company as executives. In 2001, Mr. Asplundh was named chief executive officer and chairman of the board. Nine years later, he retained his position as board chairman while third-generation family member Scott M. Asplundh, his nephew, became the elected CEO. Mr. Asplundh attended the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn and worked for the family business while attending college. In 1962, he earned a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and then served in the Marine Corps. Christopher B. Asplundh Jr., the company's executive vice president and Mr. Asplundh's son, said his father was a larger-than-life figure who filled a room with his energy and never wasted a moment. Chris is survived by his wife of 50 years, Ellen; son Chris, Jr.; daughter Meredith and her husband, Timothy Gardner; grandchildren Alexander and Paige Gardner; brothers Carl, Jr. and Edward; sister Emily Jane Lemole; as well as extended Asplundh family members in the company and around the world.