Remembering the man who built JED Limousine

By Mike Bush

KSDK -- Mourners said goodbye Thursday to Joseph Edward Dellerman, a man who was always quick with a hello.

"To know him is to love him," said longtime friend Steve Pecoraro.

Dellerman, better known as "JED," was not a middle of the road type of guy.

"When it came to business, it was strictly business," said longtime chauffer "Big" Al Gilkey.

After selling a small Cadillac dealership, Dellerman opened JED Limousine in 1967 with a fleet of just one vehicle, but business quickly grew.

"He was the first limousine service in the Midwest and he made a name for himself," said JED Fleet Manager Mark Kiefer.

Dellerman was his own best advertisement and so were the people he hired. Gilkey, a retired police officer, began driving for JED 22 years ago to make a little extra money.

"He expected the drivers to be personable and professional at all times, because the drivers represent the company," Gilkey said.

In the office of the business he built is a wall of fame, a who's who of politicians, movie stars and sports figures that used JED Limousine when they came to town. And JED was usually their driver.

"He made a lot of personal friends with people he drove," said Pecoraro. "Everybody from Sammy Davis Jr., to Bob Hope, to Bob Costas, to nearly every music group that played a concert in St. Louis."

In the 1970s, he even spent two weeks driving around the Shah of Iran.

"At the end of the two weeks, the Shah himself took a ring off his finger. I believe it had 38 diamonds and 40 rubies," Kiefer recalled.

In 2005, Dellerman finally sold the business to Pecoraro, who started washing cars for him when he was just 15-years-old.

"He treated me like a son, he treated me very well," said Pecoraro.

Friends aren't actually sure if JED was 89 or 90-years-old when he died because they say he actually had two birth certificates. They are sure of one thing however.

"Jed will be badly missed," Kiefer said.

Thursday's service was a celebration of a man's life, as were the fleet of limousines that led the procession. For on the road of life, the man they called JED was always in the driver's seat.