FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--Services were held here this month for optical industry veteran, Irving Appel, retired chairman and former president of Welling International, a Connecticut-based frame company.

Appel, 89, became a partner in Welling in 1960, and was an early pioneer in importing frames in the U.S., bringing in goods from Europe one of the first to tap Korea as a source for frames. Welling’s collection was eventually expanded to include such brands as English Leather and Cover Girl, and, in the mid-1980s, the Cheryl Tiegs line, which was a signature brand for the company.

Born in New York City, Appel was a highly decorated bombardier in the U.S. 8th Army Air Corp during World War II, flying some 33 missions, for which he received the Flying Cross. He started his career in the packaging business, moving to first to the Phillipines, where he established a corregated box factory and later, to the U.S. where he developed the business for many prominent U.S. firms.

Appel retired 14 years ago. His late wife, Gertrude, passed away a year ago and he is survived by his children, Michael Appel, Bonnie Shyer, Shayna Appel, his granddaughter, Samantha Shyer, and others in his extended family.