Charles T. Knabusch; Head of La-Z-Boy Furniture Firm

Charles T. Knabusch, 57, chairman, chief executive officer and president of La-Z-Boy. The son of the company’s co-founder, Knabusch led the furniture maker for the past 12 years. The company’s annual sales rose from $52.7 million to more than $1 billion during his tenure. Knabusch began working in the firm’s payroll department in 1961. Four years later, he became office manager at La-Z-Boy West headquarters in Redlands, and in 1968 was promoted to vice president of that organization. In 1970, he was named assistant to the president and a director at the Monroe, Mich., corporate headquarters. He became president in 1972, succeeding his father. On Tuesday of a heart attack in High Point, N.C.