STRATTON HATS FOUNDER STEVE STRATTON DIED AT THE AGE OF 101

We hear that Stratton never left home without a soft felt fedora.

At the age of 17 Stratton came to the United States from a village near Sparta, Greece, with his mother. After he arrived, Stratton took a job working for his uncle's dry cleaning shop in Illinois.

That was where he learned how to take care of hats - and where he got the idea to make hats for a living. And apparently he lived out his dream: Stratton hats become one of the country's largest manufacturer of uniform hats.

"I fell in love with hats," Stratton said in a 2005 interview with the Herald-Tribune. "I felt like I was creating something with my own hands."

During the Depression he often worked 24-hour shifts to fill orders. "He was a self-taught man," said his daughter, Elaine Lampros of Sarasota. "I'm so proud of the life that he laid for himself and his family."

When he wasn't working, he enjoyed reading and keeping up with current events. As he got older he began listening to books on tape about history and politics.

"He was in church every week, and always beautifully dressed," said the Rev. Frank M. Kirlangitis. "He always has a smile and a 'good morning.'"

Stratton's family sent one of his hats to Chicago to be buried with him.