Edward J. Meyer, longtime executive

Edward J. Meyer, 75, an executive who once hawked toothpaste for Bristol-Myers and went on to manage how Sun Refining Co. marketed gasoline and A-Plus mini-marts, died Tuesday, May 14, of complications from cancer.

A resident of Bryn Mawr and later Center City, Mr. Meyer had battled cancer for 13 years. He died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

In 1981, Mr. Meyer joined Sun Refining & Marketing Co. He was elevated to vice president of marketing and strategic development in 1989.

He oversaw the brand strategy behind Sun's acquisition and integration of Atlantic service stations with the Sunoco brand. Sun had acquired the Atlantic brand in 1988 and decided to retain the chain's A-Plus mini-markets.

"We want to do what's best for both brands," Mr. Meyer said in 1989.

He jumped to Equitable Resources, a gas utility in Pittsburgh, retiring in 1998 as senior vice president. He served as the president of the company's energy-management services subsidiary.

From 1991 to 1999, he also worked as an executive consultant to Leon Hess, chairman of the Hess petroleum firm.

In 1999, an investor group persuaded him to come out of retirement to lead the Philadelphia- and Singapore-based AssetLine, an Internet-based auction market for the construction industry. He retired again in 2001.

Born in New York City and raised there and in Leominster, Mass., Mr. Meyer graduated from Brandeis University in 1960 with a degree in economics.

After serving in the Army, he graduated from Harvard Business School in 1963 with a master's degree in business administration.

For the next 17 years, Mr. Meyer worked at Clairol and Bristol-Myers, where he led marketing strategies for Body on Tap Shampoo, Bufferin, Excedrin, and Ban Roll-On. He collaborated with the actress Candice Bergen and the weight lifter Franco Columbu on advertising campaigns.

He played tennis for more than 50 years, until just before his death. He was a benefactor of modern art, playing an instrumental role in the creation of the Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition at the Main Line Art Center in Haverford, now in its ninth year.

The exhibit was named for his wife, Elizabeth. The two were married for 37 years. She died in 2004.

Surviving are his second wife, Toby Meyer; sons Scott and Andrew; three grandchildren; and a brother.

A memorial service will be private.

Donations may be made in his name to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center via http://bit.ly/12EZwPu