Jerry Orns

Jerry Orns, 87, of St. Petersburg, passed away May 9, 2011. Jerry was born in Brooklyn, NY, served in the US Air force and was a POW in WWII. He began his business career selling parts in the automotive aftermarket. He moved to Florida in 1956 from Highland Park, Illinois. Jerry was one of the founding Midas Muffler franchisees and expanded the business throughout the west coast of Florida while serving as President of the National Midas Dealers Association. Jerry was also a member of Temple B'nai Israel in Clearwater for 35 years. In January 2011, at the 25th anniversary celebration, Jerry was honored as one of the founders of Menorah Manor and was a founding member of the Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg. Jerry is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Donna; son, Lonnie (Jennifer); daughters Jill Orns (Jeffrey Cotter), Pam (Dennis) Morris, and Ivy (David) Kitenplon; sister, Rosalyn Diener; sister-in-law Meryl Lachman; and 12 grandchildren. Services will be held 1 pm Wednesday, March 11th at the David C. Gross Funeral Home in St. Petersburg. Interment will follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Park in Largo. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Jerry's memory to the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr, Alzheimer's Institute 4001 E. Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, FL, 33613. David C. Gross Funeral Homes, Central Avenue Chapel, St. Petersburg is serving the family. Service Information