Obituary of Jerrold Kaplan

Jerrold Kaplan, 72, of Jensen Beach, FL, died on August 15, 2015 at his home..

Jerrold Jay Kaplan was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 21, 1943. He was the son of Esther and Sam Kaplan, and brother to his younger sister Susan Kaplan. He attended City College of New York receiving his Bachelor's degree, and completed his Masters degree at Stevens Institute of Technology after starting his graduate work at Purdue University.

Known to his friends and family as Jerry, he was educated as a mathematician, earning a Masters in mathematics. He became intrigued with computers in the 1960's, and pursued a career in that field, starting at IBM. He then joined AT&T's Bell Laboratories, working his way to Executive Director. He was responsible for the development of key software systems for AT&T.

Jerry was a visionary thinker. He had a deep knowledge of technology and could see future trends clearly. He was constantly seeking out a broad spectrum of knowledge and ideas and points of view that shaped his own thinking both professionally and personally. He was a unique individual, priding himself on having his own thoroughly researched and thought out opinions and ideas.

He married Louise Thomas in November 2004. He and Louise have resided in Florida since 1998, coming from Bedminster, NJ.

He is survived by his wife Louise Kaplan, his son, Brian Kaplan, his daughter Jill Galano and her 2 children, Kaitlyn and Greyson Galano, as well as his step-sons, Craig Thomas, and Christopher Thomas. He is also survived by his sister Susan Bellows; his aunt Eleanor Sugam and cousin Rick Sugam.

SERVICES: Visitation will be from 9:00 to 11:00 AM on Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Forest Hills Funeral Home, Palm City. The funeral service will be at 11:00 AM in the funeral home chapel. Entombment will follow immediately in the Forest Hills Memorial Park Mausoleum, Palm City.

For those who wish, contributions may be made to the Simon Weisenthal Center, 9760 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035 or on line at www.wiesenthal.com or Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, 4100 SW Leighton Farm Avenue, Palm City, FL 34990, (772)287-5733 or on line at www.humanesociety-tc.org