Ron DiMenna, founder of Ron Jon Surf Shop, has died at age 88

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Ron Jon Surf Shop founder Ron DiMenna passed away Saturday at the age of 88.

DiMenna founded the original Ron Jon’s in 1959 on Long Beach Island, N.J., and opened the first store there in 1961. By 1963, he opened his second store, the “One-of-a-Kind” Ron Jon Surf Shop, at Canaveral Pier in Cocoa Beach. That store is now a 52,000-square-foot celebration of beach and the surfing culture and equipment as well as a tourist destination. Since then, seven shops have been opened in Florida — including at Disney Springs, in Clearwater Beach and in Key West — and throughout the South.

Ron Jon’s also has been involved with the annual Beach and Boards Fest, which had to be canceled this year because of a beach rejuvenation project. 

DiMenna has a home on Merritt Island and remained a private person.

He and his wife, Lynne, founded Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization that supports organizations with like-minded missions to protect the health of Florida’s beaches and address issues such as coastal pollution and beach ecology. It raises funds through the sales of Florida’s Endless Summer specialty license plates and the Ron Jon Surf Shop’s philanthropic work. Those organizations also help support the Brevard Zoo and Special Olympics Florida.

“Ron was known as a free spirit and his love for the beach and the sport of surfing endured throughout his life,” Ron Jon Surf Shop President Michelle Goodwin said 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. 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. Ron’s vision and legacy will live on for generations through Ron Jon Surf Shop and Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation.”