The man who gave his name to an iconic American brand has died.

Ron DiMenna, founder of Ron Jon Surf Shop, died Sept. 6 at age 88.

“We honor all the creativity he brought into this world and we will continue to honor his love for the beach and all things surf,” the company said on its websit e. “Our thoughts are with his wife, Lynne, during this difficult time.”

A New Jersey native, DiMenna founded the company by selling surfboards from the trunk of his car in 1959, Florida Today reported. That enterprise occurred just as music and movies helped surfing spread beyond Hawaii, the West Coast and Florida.

The first Ron Jon Surf Shop opened on the Jersey Shore in 1961 followed by a store on Canaveral Pier in Florida. That store grew and now is the chain’s 52,000 square foot flagship lo

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