Jerome (Jerry) A. Kaplan, 78, of Avon passed away peacefully on June 14, 2013. He was the husband of Leah (Maskowsky) Kaplan and son of the late Sadie and Morris Kaplan of Kingston, NY. Jerry served in the National Guard of New York and as a reserve of the Army for three years after graduating from the Moran-Spencerian School of Business in Kingston, NY. Jerry was a sports aficionado. He owned and operated the pro shop at Sangi’s Bowlero in Kingston while also employed at IBM. He loved the sport and became the top scoring bowler in Ulster County. He also played and coached in several basketball leagues. After his marriage to Leah, he purchased The Laurel Billiards in Winsted and operated the business, later named Jerry’s News, for over thirty years, retiring in 1993. He also operated a store in Terryville for a few years. One recent comment found on Facebook read, “I miss being at Jerry’s. We had so much fun, good times, and conversation. Wish we could just walk in right now.” Jerry loved the Red Sox, the Giants, the Celtics, and was a great sports trivia guy. His favorite hobby was frequenting Foxwoods a few times a month. “Win some, lose some,” was this poker player’s maxim. Besides his wife, Leah, he is survived by his amazing daughters, Shelley Nickles (John) of Arlington, Virginia, Robyn Kaplan-Cho (Doug) of West Hartford, and Alanna Munoz (Pablo) of Maplewood, New Jersey. He also leaves six precious granddaughters, Kealani Nickles, Hannah, Cammie and Grace Cho, and Sadie and Ceci Munoz. He also leaves two nieces, Joanne Applebaum and Ilene Kent as well as several cousins. He was predeceased by his sister, Elaine Kent and nephew, Michael Kent. The family extends its sincerest and warmest thanks to the nurses and aides at Hartford Hospital Bliss ICU unit and at The Avon Health Center for the compassionate care provided to him. Funeral services will be held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Anti-Defamation League of Connecticut, 1952 Whitney Ave., Hamden, CT 06517.