Jerome (Jerry) Wesley Pikor, 79, of Oak Bluffs and Port Orange, Fla., died at Massachusetts General Hospital from complications due to a pulmonary embolism on the morning of Sunday, July 15, 2018. He was the beloved husband of Beverly (Crook) Pikor.
Born on Feb. 7, 1939, to John and Stella Pikor, Jerry grew up in Windsor and West Hartford, Conn. He attended the University of Miami in Florida. In the early 1960s, at United Aircraft in West Palm Beach, Fla., he worked on the engines incorporated into the lunar lander for the Apollo 11 spacecraft. He always maintained a good sense for problem solving, and applied it to the many businesses that he would create throughout his life. Businesses such as the Catalogue Shop, Astron Industries, and Landmark Corp. were just a few of his companies. He found success in various fields of business, and would always say, “Find a need, and fill it.”
His enterprises in land development would take him and his family all over the East Coast, from Vermont to Martha’s Vineyard, and all the way down to the Florida Keys, making friends and memories everywhere he went.
No matter where Jerry went, he was never very far from airplanes. He attained his pilot’s license at the age of 15, and made the local newspaper when he rented and flew a plane from Miami to Hartford to be home for Thanksgiving. His passion for aviation would follow him for the rest of his life, and take him to heights that most only dream of. Child and Family Services of Hartford, Conn., awarded him for initiating “Aviation Day” for children in the Hartford area. Over the course of his life, he was fortunate to have owned a fair number of aircraft, but his favorite by far was the humble two-seater, canvas and wooden J-3 Piper Cub. Anyone who rode in the bright yellow plane can remember holding the brakes for him while he manually pulled the propeller to start it.
Flying was a passion for Jerry, but he also loved to entertain friends and family on the back deck with cookouts or barbecues on the beach. He kept his mind sharp by studying the stock and commodities markets, and keeping up with the news and current events.
He is survived by his loving wife Beverly; their three sons, Jerome (Wesley) Pikor II and his wife Michelle of Martha’s Vineyard, Jeffrey Pikor and his wife Robin of Granby, Conn., and Steven Pikor of Geneva, Fla.; by his brother Roger Pikor and wife Marilyn, and his sister Carol Skinger and husband Leonard, with all their families. He is also loved by his six grandchildren, Christine, J.W., Vara, Claire, Charlie, and Case.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Good Shepherd Parish, P.O. Box 1058, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568. There will be a celebration of his life in September.
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