It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of Chris (Topher) Fierek at the all too young age of 45. He was a fixture for many years in the Directed marketing department, a car guy through and through and a well-loved and respected friend to many in our industry.
Chris endured a short battle with cancer and passed on Sunday, September 27.
He is survived by his girlfriend Heather Thomas and many family members including his parents Constance and G. Thomas Fierek, Sr., of Munster, IN, as stated in NWI.com.
Chris was ever involved in SEMA show car projects, even after leaving Directed as Director of Marketing and eventually taking a post at CVD Audio, a high end Italian car audio brand, as Director of Sales & Marketing.
His long-time industry friend Derek Schmiedl said, “The first day I met Chris, I liked the guy and that’s kind of a rarity for me. He could literally turn something boring into something extremely fun. He did it in a way that made people migrate to him. It seems the good ones get taken too soon.”
Jesse Sprister of Drive Customs, CA said, “He’s one of those guys that everyone knows. He’s got connections. If you say, hey I need help on this, he’s the guy that will find you whatever you need.” He added, “He was just a great guy. He’s one of the guys you instantly click with and the kind of guy that will just go out of his way to do anything for you.”
Schmiedl agreed. “Chris has been very involved with the automotive segment in general, not just 12 volt. He loved SEMA…The guy was into customizing and doing show vehicles and through those pursuits he was the guy to always have the hook up whether it was a radio knob for a 2000 Bentley, he knew everybody.”
Due to COVID, no service will be held in the immediate future.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to accept contributions towards Chris’ expenses, including funds owed to installers working on show car projects with Chris.
Photo Credit: GoFundMe
