(FORTUNE Magazine) – When Wendy's Dave Thomas took square hamburgers national and Alfred "Freddy" Heineken made bottles at his grandfather's brewery green, they probably didn't realize those moves would launch two great brands, now poised to long outlive the visionaries themselves, both of whom died last month.

Marketing was their shared forte. The chain-smoking Heineken, 78, was so hands-on that he personally approved every ad. "There is a visceral link to the product," he once said. "You have to be totally involved--a bit mad." Thomas, 69, was initially dubious about being the public face of Wendy's in company ads, but his portly, pleasant image went on to grace more than 800 commercials.

During their reigns Heineken and Wendy's became leading players in their industries. The only fitting tribute to such legacies? A Big Bacon Classic, washed down with a Heiney.

--Matthew Boyle