Former Chamber member dies

Dave Brooks

He was a consummate salesman, a selfless father and one heck of a

dancer.

Lynn Fillman made his living working with people, perfect for a

man charged with bringing in new membership to the Huntington Beach

Chamber of Commerce. He died Nov. 17 from complications related to

liver disease. He was 61 years old.

He was the life of the party, a man so charming even his ex-wives

-- there were three in all -- still loved him, he always bragged.

Fillman was born in San Diego to rancher Harry Fillman and Thelma,

a German national. He spent his childhood racing horses and graduated

from Arroyo High School.

Shortly thereafter, he married his first wife Valerie Brooks, and

in 1966 they had their first child, Brett Fillman. Several years

later, Lynn Fillman and his wife adopted a baby girl, who died in

infancy from meningitis.

“It was devastating for my mother and father,� said Amber Lee

Fillman, 31, who was born after the loss.

The death of their adopted daughter would eventually bring about

divorce, Amber Lee Fillman said, and for her father, life

transformation.

“From there he became the dancing king,� she said.

The year was 1976 and Lynn Fillman was swept up in the disco

craze, donning a leisure suit and mastering every move from the East

Coast swing to the cha cha.

“Everyone woman likes a dancer he would always tell me,� Amber Lee

Fillman said. “My father was very motivated by women.�

Lynn Fillman married dancer Suzi Wheeler in 1979. They divorced a

year later. He married once more in 1986 to Candy Hart. That marriage

ended in 1995, but he remained close with his ex-wife and his

stepdaughter Danee Bell.

He joined the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce in 1996, after

nearly three decades of sales with the Rycoff Food Co.

“That was really his dream job,� Amber Lynn Fillman said. “He

loved the fact that he was being paid to schmooze people.�

The same abilities carried over to the chamber.

Longtime chamber volunteer Dale Dunn was always impressed by his

ability to bring in new members.

“He was a great salesman,� Dunn said. “He was very good at

convincing people why they should join, whether it was for networking

opportunities or legislative support.�

Pam Wilkinson, the chamber’s director of programs, said his secret

to success was that he understood people.

“There was just something about him that always drew others in,�

she said. “He always seemed interested and was very intuitive.�

When he wasn’t working, Lynn Fillman enjoyed listening to talk

radio, or debating politics or sports -- friends say he was a staunch

conservative and a die-hard USC football fan.

His health began to deteriorate in his late 40s, and in 1990, he

suffered a heart attack. He was always cognizant of his health, his

daughter said, but in 2000 he learned that he had liver disease.

He tried to get a liver transplant, but doctors told him that he

wouldn’t be placed on the donor list because he had little chance of

surviving the procedure.

“He was very gentle when he told us this, and he never really let

us know how much pain he was going through,� his daughter said.

“That’s the kind of father he was, he didn’t want his children to

worry about him.�

Knowing that his days were numbered, Fillman told a group at the

Chamber’s Winners Circle Breakfast on Nov. 12 that the event would be

his last and that he planned to retire at the end of November to

spend more time with his family. He died five days later.

A celebration of Fillman’s life will be held Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

at the Meadowlark Golf Course. For more information, call the Chamber

at (714) 536-8888.