Ron DiMenna, founder of Ron Jon Surf Shop, has died at 88
“Ron was known as a free spirit, and his love for the beach and the sport of surfing endured throughout his life.”
Even if you’ve never surfed, chances are you’ve seen a Ron John Surf Shop sticker on a bumper over the decades, all over the country.
Ron DiMenna created a surfing empire with his surf shops and their ubiquitous stickers and T-shirts, starting in Long Beach Island in 1961. In the ensuing decades, DiMenna branched out to build a massive store in Cocoa Beach, Fla., along with several others along the East Coast and along the Gulf of Mexico.
Mr. DiMenna, according to an online obituary, died at home on Saturday in Florida. He was 88.
“The entire Ron Jon family mourns this loss,” Michele Goodwin, president of Ron Jon Surf Shop, told SpaceCoastDaily.com in a statement. “Ron was known as a free spirit, and his love for the beach and the sport of surfing endured throughout his life.”
Ron Jon executives could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to his obituary, Mr. DiMenna grew up at the Jersey Shore, where he discovered surfing in 1959.
“The allure of fiberglass surfboards captured his imagination — and his ambition," his obituary read.
When Mr. DiMenna expressed interest in buying a custom board from California, his father, according to the obituary, suggested he “buy three, sell two at a profit, then yours will be free.”
He went on to open the original Ron Jon Surf Shop on Long Beach Island in 1961, followed by a second shop in Cocoa Beach on the Canaveral Pier in 1963.
Today, there are locations in Grand Turk, Las Vegas, and Cozumel.
“The Ron Jon Surf Shop Corp. will continue to function as it has, and nothing will change in the company’s day-to-day operations,” Goodwin said in a statement. “Ron’s vision and legacy will live on for generations through Ron Jon Surf Shop and Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation.”
According to the obituary, Mr. DiMenna is survived by his wife, Lynne, and “the countless colleagues, collaborators, and customers who were touched by his vision.”