Louis C. Lasday

Louis C. Lasday of Pittsburgh and Sarasota, Florida, died on May 26, 2026. He was a man of honor, wisdom, and cheer. With a dynamic spirit, he was remarkably inspiring and possessed a wonderfully engaging connection to family and close friends. A graduate of Penn State, he was president of Phi Epsilon Pi (now ZBT), publisher of the University magazine, and, as an alumnus, Executive Editor of the fraternity’s national magazine. Years later, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Penn State of the Gulf Coast. Lou started his 40-year marketing career in Pittsburgh at Jay Reich Advertising and quickly won accolades for client promotions that delivered record-breaking sales results. He became the subject of numerous trade articles and won dozens of industry awards. After a series of advancements, Lou became president and partner by the age of 35. He was honored as “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Pittsburgh Executive Association and “Man of the Year” by the Pittsburgh JCC. He served as president of the American Marketing Association of Western Pennsylvania and later as president of the American Marketing Association of Tampa Bay. High professional recognition came with consecutive wins in the healthcare category at the Telly Awards. In his initial acceptance, he remarked, “The real creative awards are not won at black-tie ad association banquets… They are really won at the client’s cash register.” The firm eventually merged with Pittsburgh’s Hallmark Advertising, where Lou served for 18 years as Executive VP and partner. Over a single five-year period, he facilitated the acquisition of eight companies in Pittsburgh, Orlando, and Tampa, helping place the combined agency on the national listing of the “100 Largest Advertising Agencies in America.” In semi-retirement on Longboat Key, his Lasday Group advised franchise headquarters, and he served as marketing editor at the Gulf Coast Business Review, authoring the column Street Smart Marketing. The publication’s media kit described him as the “Gulf Coast marketing guru.” Most of all, Lou lived each day for his family. He enriched the confidence, aspirations, and joy of his adored artist wife, Linda (deceased), whose racehorse paintings grace a number of racetrack club rooms and private residences. Surviving family who revered him include his devoted son Stephen (DPM), Sarasota podiatrist; loving daughter-in-law Renae (RN); grandsons Spencer (J.D., Fort Lauderdale) and Max (MS, medical student, Orlando); brother and best friend Ron of Tampa; brother-in-law Bill Berger (J.D., Allentown, PA); nephew Fred (JD, Tampa), Nieces Shari Pfaff (Las Vegas) , Jane Ginsberg (JD, Albany NY), and Emily Fischel (Doylestown PA) A receiving will be held at Sarasota Bay Club, 1299 N. Tamiami Trail, Apt. 722, Sarasota, FL 34236, Sunday, May 31, from 4–8 PM. Private burial for immediate family. The family requests remembrances in Lou’s honor to the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL 34232.

Tributes

Louis C. Lasday

October 15, 1937 - May 26, 2026