Mark Polsky, former grocery executive and part-owner of former independent supermarket retailer Magruder’s, passed away on December 20, 2021, at the age of 74.
Born in Silver Spring, MD, Polsky attended Northwood High School and then the University of Maryland, where he graduated with the college’s first computer science/information technology class in 1969. Fresh out of school, Polsky worked for the federal government’s General Services Administration for three years before he was lured to join the business that his father-in-law, Lou Fanaroff, and his partner Stanford Steppa (whose wife was Fanaroff’s sister), had acquired in 1967.
At that point, the company operated two stores – one on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC (where Polsky initially worked) and a second unit in Vienna, VA. When Magruder’s opened its third store in Rockville, MD, Polsky returned to operational duties at that supermarket on Rockville Pike.
He didn’t remain there long – the company was growing and reorganizing and Polsky returned to the Connecticut Avenue store, this time as head of grocery merchandising and buying. For the next 35 years, Mark Polsky gained the respect (and sometimes frustration) of the vendor community by serving as a tough but fair steward overseeing Magruder’s procurement.
Magruder’s continued to grow in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, expanding to 16 units in 1986 after the retailer acquired seven stores from another independent merchant, Cook’s Supermarkets.
After Polsky joined the company, Gary Bortnick, another son-in-law of Lou Fanaroff, joined the retailer in the late 1970s, followed by Fanaroff’s son Steve, who came on board in the early 1980s.
Magruder’s, which was originally founded in 1875, remained a viable supermarket factor in the Washington region through the early 2000s. However, as the market began to change with more stores with differentiated operating styles entering the scene, Magruder’s, like many other independent retailers, began to feel the competitive pressure. In early 2013, the remaining family members (Lou Fanaroff passed away in 2005) decided to close the stores, which had been reduced to five supermarkets.
Stanford Steppa died in September 2021.
Mark Polsky is survived by his wife of 52 years, Sonia “Sunny” Fanaroff Polsky; his children Jodi (Scott) Cohen and Adam (Meredith) and Raleigh Polsky and 10 grandchildren – Hallie, Cami, Kellie and Bobby Cohen; Hayden, Lucy and Emma Polsky; and Lucas, Jaycie and Harlow Leichter. He also leaves one brother, Carl Polsky.
Contributions in his memory may be made to B’nai Israel Congregation (bnaiisraelcong.org) or to the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org).