Joseph Earl Shorin, Jr., 87, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and a resident of Sarasota, FL since 1981, passed away peacefully at his home, on Friday, April 30, 2021. Joe is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Maryanne, his children Melanie Shorin (Greg Feldman), Valerie Lowe, Jocelyn Lyss (Andy), Joseph Shorin, III (Bonnie), David Shorin, and Jessica Shorin; his eleven grandchildren Sara, Arielle, Max, Ted, Casey, Harrison, Avery, Toby, Kyle, Stephanie, and Deegan; and his great-grandson, Nate. He is also survived by his brother, Arthur Shorin (Beverly) and his brother-in-law Gerry Starr (Ronda). He was pre-deceased by his sister, Alita Starr.
Joe came from a family of innovators. His father and uncles started Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. (later known as The Topps Company, Inc.), which provided him with the opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps as a passionate businessman. He started from the ground up working on the factory floor in his youth and progressing through the ranks until he retired from the company as the Vice President of Product Development in the 1970s to start his own company. During his tenure at Topps, he developed such iconic products such as Wacky Packages, Gold Rush, and Mars Attacks, to name a few. He was truly a part of American pop history, not only through the products he created, but by being the namesake of the most well-known Topps character, Bazooka Joe.
Following his time at Topps, Joe started a plastic injection molding company, Aggogle, Inc. Aggogle supplied the medical industry with many items that are still in use today such as tube clamps and bedsheet clamps. He also worked with the automotive industry to supply integrally molded wire spools to all the major suppliers of automotive companies.
In addition, Joe was constantly looking for new ways to improve or solve existing problems. Over the years, he held numerous patents like the Porta-Vault that allowed people to keep their valuables secure while travelling.
Years ago, the Shorin home was filled with inventions, bubble gum, candy, and baseball cards (oh, how we wish we had saved all those cards); today, it is filled with loving memories. His most important legacy is his large and loving family. He will be most remembered for his sense of humor, creativity, love of art and music, great cuisine, not to mention those late-night backgammon games. Joe will live on in the memories of his family and friends.
A private memorial will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made to Tidewell Hospice at TidewellFoundation.org.
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