Jim Dunn, namesake of J.R. Dunn Jewelers, dead at 78
%20(1).jpg "Jim Dunn, right, with wife Anne Marie and son Sean. Dunn and his wife co-founded what would become J.R. Dunn Jewelers in 1969.")
Jim Dunn, co-founder and namesake of luxury retailer J.R. Dunn Jewelers in Lighthouse Point, has died. He was 78.
Originally from Massachusetts, Dunn founded what would become known as J.R. Dunn in 1969 with his wife, Ann Marie. They moved to South Florida in 1978 and became pillars of Broward County.
In 1996, Dunn founded the annual Dunn’s Run 5K event benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County, which has raised more than $3 million. This year’s 25th anniversary run will be held in Dunn’s honor.
In 2002, Dunn was given the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s “Excalibur” award for excellence in small business leadership; in 2007, the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University inducted Jim Dunn into its Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.
“Jim was so incredibly proud of the business he and I built together,” said Ann Marie Dunn in a statement. “It showed in his passion for moving the business forward each and every day from the most important strategic initiatives right down to the simplest of tasks, like stocking the water bottles or making the shipping boxes. No job was too big or too small for Jim Dunn and I look forward to continuing on his legacy.”
No cause of death was given. Dunn is survived by his wife, Ann Marie Dunn; son and daughter-in-law, Sean and Viviana Dunn; grandchildren Nico and Briana.
A celebration of life will be held in his honor at a date to be announced.
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 4:34 PM.
