Ron DiMenna, the founder of Ron Jon Surf Shop, died on Sept. 6 at age 88.
“The entire Ron Jon family mourns this loss,” reads a press release from the company. “On behalf of our board of directors, management team and employees, we extend our deepest sympathy to Ron’s wife, Lynne DiMenna.”
An avid surfer, DiMenna founded Ron Jon in 1959 on the New Jersey Shore with the goal of bringing the sport and lifestyle to the masses. The original Ron Jon Surf Shop opened in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, in 1961, and expanded along the East Coast to its current flagship in Cocoa Beach, Fla., as well as Lake Buena Vista, Fort Myers, Key West, Panama City Beach, Clearwater Beach, and Pensacola Beach in Fla., Ocean City, Md., Orange Beach, Ala., and Myrtle Beach, S.C. The company operates 13 stores.
“Ron was known as a free spirit and his love for the beach and the sport of surfing endured throughout his life,” said Michele Goodwin, the president of Ron Jon Surf Shop, in a statement. “He lived life on his own terms and created a retail empire that remains one of the most successful beach shopping destinations in the country.”
Goodwin was appointed president of the privately owned company in 2021 after former longtime President Debbie Harvey retired.
“The Ron Jon Surf Shop Corporation will continue to function as it has and nothing will change in the company’s day-to-day operations,” Goodwin said. “Ron’s vision and legacy will live on for generations through Ron Jon Surf Shop and Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation.”
The Foundation supports organizations that protect Florida’s beaches from pollution and other ecological issues.
