Ronald Jay Kumin

Bahama, NC — Mr. Ronald Kumin, 81, died on February 6 at home, after a lengthy illness.
He was born in 1934, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Joseph and Lillian Harris Kumin. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard before attending Ohio State and Case Western Reserve. He was CEO of Lee Motor Products, a publicly traded company. In 1970, he founded the Fairmount Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, where his wife Janice was Dance Director.
In 1977 the family moved to Plantation, Florida, where he was CEO of Florida Automotive Marketing, Inc. and its subsidiary U-Auto-Do-It. Then he started Advertising Impact Inc. and created the University Center for the Performing Arts, with Janice helming the dance department. Mr. Kumin was Producer of the Duke University Broadway Preview Series, and taught a course in Arts Management at Duke. Starting in 1990, he brought a similar program to the NCSA in Winston-Salem, where he also taught. In 1998 he returned to the Triangle, becoming a licensed broker, and working with Prudential Real Estate. He was also involved in land development and served on nonprofit boards.
Ronald Kumin used his wide-ranging business abilities and remarkable energy to help and mentor others, making friends wherever he went and impacting many lives. He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Janice Drucker Kumin, children, grandchildren, and extended family, including: Marci and Pat Allen; Dick and Debbie Bass; Jay Bass; Kathy Dalton, Doug and David Day; Sally Ann Drucker; Charles Drucker, Pat Berger, and Laura Drucker; Marilyn and David Friedman; Sidney Gewanter; Jeremy and Karen Kumin; Charles, Faith, Clayton, Jenna, Declan, Cedric, and Ciara St. Clair, Chynna and Chris Black; Laura Kumin, Pepe San Justo, Hannah, and Clara San Justo Kumin; Selene and René Vega. He is preceded in death by sister Gail, brother David, and son Daniel.
Ronald Kumin will be deeply mourned and remembered for his strong commitment to family, sense of humor, creativity, and love of the arts. Service and burial will be held at Maplewood Cemetery,1621 Duke University Rd., Durham on Monday Feb. 8 at 2pm, followed by a week of mourning at home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Best Friends at (http://bestfriends.org. or The Humane Society of America http://www.humanesociety.org.