Seymour Lehrer passed away on February 27, 2026, at the age of 98.

Born September 4, 1927, in Los Angeles, California, Seymour was a unique individual in the best sense, a renaissance man one might say, who was an accomplished businessman, original thinker, creative, exceedingly generous man, who possessed a hilarious, mostly dry sense of humor. Seymour was direct and told it like it was.

He was a self-made man who began his working life during WWII at age 14 sweeping floors at a gun shop after school. By the end of the war, he had become a skilled machinist and an accomplished tool and die maker. From humble beginnings he and his business partner built a business, Commercial Tool & Die Co, in downtown Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Through many years of hard work seven days a week, the partnership became successful and earned a high reputation in this field.

In 1963, Seymour was involved with his trade association, the National Tooling and Machining Association and was appointed Chairman of the Southern California Joint Apprenticeship Committee; he helped develop a vocational training facility that trained over 3,000 people who were placed in well-paying jobs. He was later appointed to the National Apprenticeship committee which set standards for tool and die makers across the United States. He later started CTD Machines, Inc., a premier manufacturer of mitre and double mitre cut-off saws.

As the success of CTD Machines grew, with Ellen and Tom becoming partners in the business for over 30 years, Seymour began investing in industrial real estate in the Los Angeles area. He had an innate skill at realizing property opportunities. He spent many years buying less desirable properties, which he upgraded, expanding his industrial property portfolio which thrived under his watchful eye.

Shirley Lehrer is the love of Seymour’s life and beloved wife of 76 years. The two of them were a wonderful team; she ran the household and Seymour, and he ran the business and interfaced with the outer world.

Together they enjoyed creating a strict but loving home for their two daughters Karen and Ellen. They enjoyed traveling, especially to their beloved Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, and loved all aspects of hiking and nature. They also traveled internationally and attended musical and cultural events in Los Angeles at the LA County Museum of Art, The Hollywood Bowl, and the Music Center, enjoying performances of classical music, ballet, opera, and theater.

In 1990 Shirley and Seymour decided to settle into semi-retirement in Montecito and built their dream home on Knollwood Drive. Seymour included plans for a separate metalworking shop on the property where he began creating metal sculptures from scrap metal, both large scale and small.

Seymour deeply loved classical music and devoted over 25 years to the Music Academy of the West, where he served on the Board of Directors, and played significant roles in improving the programming and facilities. From the time they moved to Santa Barbara, Seymour and Shirley provided exceptional support to local organizations such as Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Casa Dorinda, Congregation B’nai B’rith, The Jewish Federation, Santa Barbara Symphony, and many other nonprofits.

Seymour’s greatest devotion was to his family. He and Shirley married on June 11, 1949, having met on a hayride where Seymour fell in love at first sight. Their love story spanned more than seven and a half decades through lean years, triumphs, businesses built, and homes created and destroyed, which happened to their Montecito home in the 2018 mudslide.

Additionally, Seymour recollected his life and adventures through the authorship of several books including “Ramblings”; “Poems And Stories From The Lucky Life Of Seymour Lehrer”; “The Man, The Machines, and The Life: A Tool and Die Maker’s Story”; and the “Lehrer-Skoss Russian Legacy.”

He is survived by his wife, Shirley Lehrer, his daughters Karen Lehrer and Ellen Lehrer Orlando, and his sons-in-law Steve Sherwin and Tom Orlando, his grandson Brett Orlando and great-grandchildren Mia and Julian Orlando.

To speak of Seymour is to speak of a man deeply devoted to family and community and as a man who built things that last. Seymour is a premiere example of one who has achieved the American Dream. He will be remembered as a pioneer in tool and die making, a leader in national apprenticeship reform, a real estate visionary, a patron of the arts, and a beloved husband, father, grandfather, colleague and friend.

He leaves an enduring legacy that will inspire others who knew him.

There will be a Celebration of Life held on Thursday, March 19 at 12 p.m. noon at Hahn Hall of the Music Academy of the West.