Jay Franklin Shapson

Jay Franklin Shapson passed away on June 2, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. He was born on April 10, 1945 to Ellis and Bertha Shapson and spent the better part of his childhood just a few miles away in South Philadelphia.

Jay always had a passion for electronics and emerging technologies. As a young boy, he built his own transistor radios to listen to Phillies baseball games and Big Five basketball games. From laserdisc video players to Tesla cars, Jay always had the latest technology. He pursued this passion by studying electronics at the RCA Institutes. While going to school, he worked part time for his father selling Hoover irons at Klein’s department store in Woodbridge, NJ. It was there that he fell in love with the hostess at the employee cafeteria, Catherine (nee Yorkanis). During this time, he also served in the Army, having enlisted in the National Guard where he worked in the radio and communications department. Jay and Cathy were married on October 12, 1969. They eventually settled in Millstone Twp., NJ. They have four sons, Michael, Robert (“Bobby”), Brian, and Matthew.

After graduating from RCA Institutes, he was hired at Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. to work in their quality control department. However, Jay’s true calling was in sales. As a young boy he would go door-to-door with his father selling Hoover vacuums. He turned this childhood experience into a career as he moved to the company’s sales department. This move coincided with the birth of the cable television industry. Realizing the vast potential of this industry, he and his partner Jim Miller opened their own company, dB CATV Supply (“db”), representing various manufacturers of cable television products. Building on the success of dB, he started Antronix Sales as the exclusive sales representative of cable tv product manufacturer Antronix. Jay eventually started his own manufacturing company and produced cable tv products under his own label, Extreme Broadband Engineering (“Extreme”). After over 50 years in the cable television industry, he sold Extreme to the Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH), a Fortune 500 Company.

Jay was an avid collector of model trains and spent part of his retirement building a vast model train display. He was also a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, where he had season tickets for over 40 years. He saw the Phillies win both of their World Championships, having been at Veterans Memorial Stadium for Game 6 of the 1980 World Series and Citizens Bank Park for Game 5 of the 2008 World Series.

A true son of South Philadelphia, his final meal was a cheesesteak.

He is survived by his wife, his sister Arlene Hurwitz (nee Shapson), his four sons, his daughters-in-law, Lisa, Catherine, Nadeen, and Loredana, his granddaughters Maria and Jacquelyn, and his grandsons Ellis and Easton.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the Shapson family would appreciate your consideration in donating to the Jay and Catherine Shapson Fund for Advanced Heart Failure at the University of Pennsylvania.

To make a donation to Penn Medicine in memory of Mr. Shapson, please visit the link below to give to the Jay and Cathy Shapson Fund in Heart Failure or send a check indicating his memory and made out to Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania:

Penn Medicine Development

c/o Jessie McCulley

3535 Market Street, suite 750

Philadelphia, PA 19104

https://giving.apps.upenn.edu/fund?program=MED&fund=604657

Relatives and friends may visit from 10:00 a.m.to 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at the D'Elia Funeral Home, 1300 Vermont Avenue, Lakewood, N.J. with the funeral service starting at 11:00 a.m.

Entombment will follow at Ocean County Memorial Park Mausoleum, Toms River, N.J.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.DEliaFuneralHome.com for the Shapson family.