John Sieff, longtime owner of S&M Tire Co. and the Mr. Tire Affiliate program in Minneapolis, Minn., died Aug. 11, 2024, in Naples, Florida. He was 96 years old.
Sieff followed his father Phil into the tire industry. His father founded S&M Tire Co. in 1921, and the company went on to found both the Remington and Star brands in the 1930s. Sieff served as president of S&M Tire from 1970 to 1995.
In addition to his work for the family business, in the 1970s Sieff was one of the founders of the Summit Tire Group, and he served as president of Summit Tire for a number of years (from 1979 to 1992). In that role he was considered a pioneer for his early sucess in working with companies in Asia to manufacture private label tires.
Sieff also followed his father into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2005 — his father was inducted in 1988.
According to his Hall of Fame biography, at the height of the Mr. Tire Service and Mr. Tire Dealer Affiliate program, there were six company-owned stores and led by Sieff and 85-plus associate dealers across the Upper Midwest that operated underneath the S&M Tire Co. umbrella.
Sieff was born March 17, 1928, in Minneapolis. He graduated from Cornell College in 1950. He was an avid Minnesota sports fan and loved to golf, fish and travel.
He is survived by his daughters Christy (Richard), Lisa, and Martha (David) and his sons Philip (Laurie) and Peter (Delphine), his longtime companion Nancy Healy, 11 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in his death by his parents Phil and Min Sieff, his wife Jane, his sister Shirley Johnson, brother-in-law Gene Johnson and great-grandson Owen Burton.
Sieff was an active member of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis and the United Church of Marco Island. He had many charitable causes including the Shriner’s Hospital of St. Paul and Grace Place for children in Marco Island.
