Jerry is survived by his wife, and teammate of 50 years, Judy, and is grateful for his unconditional love and companionship. We made a hell of a team.
His daughter Carylyn, who manages the business and allowed Jerry to have the quality of life he always wanted. Cary’s two sons, John and Matt gave ‘Opa’ and I so much love and fun and he was so very proud of the men they have become. As well as their children, Opa’s great grandchildren, Diva Moon and Jocelyn (John) and Ryder and Savannah (Matthew).
His daughter, Krista Kay, (Bob)) who is inspired by her devotion to the Lord and her approach to sharing her message with so many. He was truly in awe. Emily and Abby, Krista’s two daughters, are wonderful and accomplished young ladies.
His son, Clark, (Nicki) whose business sense and acting abilities I attribute to his father. What joy he gave Jerry. I know Jerry treasured those moments they shared. Clark has two remarkable sons, Liam and Graham. Jerry loved to see the generations flourish.
His granddaughter Emily, (Adam) is our rock, she also manages the business and takes care of her amazing children. Opa’s great-grandchildren Ryder and Savannah. I must add Hazel. Although not his natural granddaughter it is hard to ignore so much life in such a little body. We have been so blessed to be in these children’s lives. So many blessings.
His ‘adopted son’ Glenn Martinez, (Deeny)) how he became our son, is a book in itself and demonstrates the heart and soul Jerry had for all. Glenn has an amazing family; Chris, Matthew, Michael and Johnny.
Antonio and Conrado deserve special mention. They have been an integral part of our family both personal and business. The dedication to Jerry and myself has been extraordinary. They blessed our family in so many ways. Jerry was honored to be called their ‘Jefe’.
There are so many other people that enriched our lives as part of our extended family; Tony Siragusa, Robert Sanchez, Remy Pop, Jason Philips, Jason Weir-Smith and more recently Chris and Amanda and Eyzeiyhah. Please forgive me for not specifically mentioning your names. You all know who you are and that you meant the world to Jerry.
Bless you all our friends that continue to honor Jerry.
Some years ago, Jerry’s very great friend Henry Hulan wrote a epilogue to Jerry’s Biography. Henry’s insight into the complex man that was Jerry Honstein is evident in the following musings.
When I first met Jerry at Unitek I categorized him as another cocky pretty boy. Turns out I was right, but soon his exceptional intelligence and creativity became equally apparent. Life was never dull around Jerry. I always enjoyed our friendship and working relationship. Jerry would give you the shirt off his back and might rankle you in the process.
I was unaware that Jerry’s early years had been so painfully hardscrabble. It left some baggage, but it didn’t get him down. Instead, always having to fend for himself instilled the spirit, confidence and resilience to undertake and succeed in the most challenging of endeavors.
Without a doubt, Jerry was the best teacher I’ve ever seen in action. Jerry is blessed with an uncanny ability to assimilate a mass of complex technical information and then convey it with patience and clarity to large number of students with different levels of understanding of the subject. He’s just as good at one-on-one training. In either case Jerry’s enthusiasm for teaching is obvious and carries over to his students, creating A+ learning experiences. He had a flair that got your attention and maintained your interest.
As a salesman he excelled in selling concepts and marketing. Jerry’s aptitude for training obviously benefits his salesmanship. He usually speaks from the advantage of expertise, but even when expounding on areas in which he is in no way an expert, he appears to all the world to be one. Even though others had more product experience, we just lacked the moxie to pull it off. Jerry was always big at showtime!
Jerry scores off the charts in this category. He performs at a level beyond thinking outside the box – for Jerry, the box doesn’t exist. Jerry generated a highly successful sales/marketing/seminar program from scratch. In his early years at Unitek he introduced a new type of precision impression material. It was evident to all that he was the only person in the company capable of doing the job. And in typical Jerry fashion, he did it with a completely new approach to the marketing of dental impression materials.
The story of Jerry’s four years of B-Team football addresses his tenacity. Undersized, and not very fast, he persevered through his high school efforts to play on his Navy team, then further at La Verne College for Roland Ortmayer, one of the most respected small-college coaches in California history. Jerry’s football career is one of persistence, guts and self-confidence. Although blessed with natural athleticism, he didn’t have the size or speed to play college football. He just did it!
Jerry loved his tennis. He was a beginner, but his skills had progressed rapidly. Still at one meeting when seeking to join a few of Uniteks better players, Jerry was relegated to our scrub player’s courts. Angry to the core, he attacked tennis with vengeance until he was able to beat the best of our group. You just don’t want to tell Jerry that he’s not good enough!
Jerry didn’t take up golf until he was in his 50’s. He bought a townhouse in Palm Desert, so I guess he had no choice. Of course, he threw himself into the game and brought his score down to the low 80’s. Jerry never has been able to grasp the concept of casual recreational sports.
Jerry’s work with Unitek, Degussa and DVA put him into heavy contact with German dental companies. He decided he would be more effective if he learned German, so he plunged in and became fluent in less than a year. Speaking it contributed significantly to Jerry’;s success with all three companies.
In spite of his achievements at Unitek and Degussa, Jerry was always at odds with corporate culture. Self-made, self-reliant and focused on his own agenda, Jerry was never comfortable with corporate structure and restrictions. Plus, he had the vision to recognize what he might achieve on his own. So Jerry founded DVA and never looked back.
Jerry had the perfect mix of attributes for an entrepreneur: experience in the field, creativity, intelligence, self-confidence and guts. Company ownership gives Jerry the freedom to exercise his eccentricities. Never a workaholic, Jerry takes off whenever he got the urge. On the other hand, he’s never adverse to working 8 hours a day when necessary. Yes, entrepreneurship fits Jerry like a glove.
Two hundred years from now, relaxing in his radiologically protected subterranean dwelling and munching on his Soylent Green bar, a future Honstein will be chuckling. He’ll read about Jerry’s odyssey from Vallejo to Racine and all the rest of his forefather’s escapades. He will also be enjoying the genealogical bonanza and all the insights into 20th Century life. As I said, with Jerry it was never dull.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Jerry Phillip Honstein, please visit our flower store.Corona Chapel
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