Jerry Pokras

Jerry Pokras, 92, of Boynton Beach, Fla., died June 10, 2015. Born in Manhattan, he lived in Bridgeport, Conn., and Newark as a child. He later lived in West Orange, Livingston, Ocean Township, and Toms River before moving to Florida.

After graduating from Weequahic High School in Newark, he enrolled in Newark College as an architecture major, and shortly after was offered a job at Churgin Lab as a dental technician. 

Early in his career, Mr. Pokras worked as a tool maker and later became a lumber yard manager. He went on to become a kitchen designer, and owned various businesses, including a custom kitchen cabinet showroom. He was also the developer of houses in west central New Jersey.

He enlisted in the United States Army in 1943. He was stationed in Ft. Eustis, Va., where he worked as a dental technician in a civilian lab. 

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He had a workshop where he created items out of wood and adapted and redesigned objects and spaces to be more efficient and/or beautiful. As a sculptor, he also began making one-of-a-kind canes, each one with a hand-carved animal shape as the handle.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Anne Spear Pokras; two daughters, Judy Pokras of Boynton Beach and Beth Pokras Singer Bergstein (Ron) of Englewood Cliffs; his son, David of Whiting; a sister, Rhoda Schechter of Springfield; a brother, Norman of Huntington Beach, Calif.; three grandchildren; and two step-grandchildren. 

Services were held with arrangements by Sinai Memorial Chapels, Delray Beach, Fla.