Jerome "Jerry" H. Shapiro, of Sandy Hook, died peacefully on January 11 while under hospice care at River Glen Health Care Center in Southbury. He was born in Port Chester, N.Y., on August 4, 1929, son of the late Frieda and Irving Shapiro.

He graduated from Port Chester High School and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology. He then enlisted in the Air Force where he served as an MP.

He was married to JoAnne Shapiro for 25 years. Together they raised two children, Kenneth Shapiro of Southbury and Judith Hartog of Greenwich. He is survived his children and daughter-in-law Dawn Shapiro; his longtime loving companion, Iris Dougherty; his sister, Sylvia Gordon of Greenwich; and his grandchildren, Maxwell Shapiro, Carly Shapiro, Zoe Hartog, and Jaclyn Hartog.

Mr Shapiro and his partner founded Pharmacal Research Labs, Inc, in 1976, where he served as vice president, president, and CFO throughout his long career. He served as president of the Allied Trades Association and received various awards for his contribution to the industry.

He enjoyed spending time with his family, friends, and pets. He loved skiing in Winter Park, Colo., and enjoyed golf and family times at his home at The Landings on Skidaway Island in Savannah, Ga.

Mr Shapiro will be remembered for his love of animals, his sense of humor, and generous spirit. He loved people and his friendships were many.

A celebration of Mr Shapiro's life will be at The Country Club of Waterbury, 1 Oronoke Road, Waterbury, on Saturday, January 28, at 11 am.

Memorial donations may be made to the Hartford Health Care at Home Hospice at hartfordhealthcare.org; the Alzheimer's Association, alz.org; or the AALAS Foundation, aalasfoundation.org.