Jerome "Jerry" Suran

1926 - 2025

Jerome "Jerry" Suran

January 11, 1926 - March 22, 2025

Davis, California - Jerome "Jerry" Suran, age 99, of Davis, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2025 at his home. Jerry was born on January 11, 1926, in New York City to Arthur and Julia Suran . He grew up in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens and attended Stuyvesant High School, demonstrating an early aptitude for science and engineering . In 1943, at the height of World War II, he interrupted his studies at Queens College to enlist in the U.S. Army. He was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program, which brought him to Syracuse University for engineering courses . When the program was discontinued, Jerry served in the Army for three years during WWII, including in the Battle of the Bulge, after which he returned to civilian life and completed a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Columbia University in 1949 . This strong educational foundation set the stage for a remarkable career in electronics and technology. In the late 1940's he married Elsie O. Suran and they enjoyed over a half century of marriage.

In 1952, Jerry embarked on a 34-year career in industry, joining the General Electric Company (GE) in Syracuse, New York . He initially worked in GE's Advanced Circuits Group during the dawn of the transistor era, where he recognized semiconductor technology as "the technology of the future" . Jerry quickly rose through the ranks at GE, eventually managing the Advanced Circuits Group and later serving as manager of GE's pioneering Electronics Laboratory (E-Lab) in Syracuse . Over three decades at GE, he contributed to major innovations in transistor and integrated circuit technology, and he played a key role in the development of GE's first implantable cardiac pacemaker . These efforts earned him widespread respect in the engineering community. In recognition of his work on semiconductor circuits and medical devices, Syracuse University awarded Jerry an honorary doctorate in engineering in 1976 .

Jerry was an inventor at heart as well as a manager. He co-authored two books on transistor circuits and published more than 50 technical papers, and he was named on 19 U.S. patents for his innovations . His leadership extended beyond GE's labs: he was an active member of professional societies, becoming a Fellow of the IEEE and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1979, Jerry was elected President of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest engineering professional organization . Colleagues remember that in this role he advocated for technology education and public understanding of engineering. He promoted closer ties between industry and academia throughout his career, foreseeing the importance of collaboration in driving innovation . Jerry's technical expertise, coupled with his talent for leadership, made a lasting impact on the field of electrical engineering.

After retiring from GE in 1982, Jerry transitioned to academia and public service, determined to share his knowledge with the next generation. He moved to California and became a faculty member at the University of California, Davis, where he was appointed a Senior Lecturer in both the Graduate School of Management, which he helped establish, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering . In these roles, Jerry taught courses in technology management and engineering, drawing upon his rich industry experience to mentor students. He was a passionate teacher known for bridging theoretical concepts with real-world applications. Jerry continued teaching well into his 80s he was still actively giving lectures at UC Davis at age 84, finding great joy in engaging with students . He earned several awards for excellence in education during this period, reflecting his unwavering commitment to learning and mentorship .

Beyond the classroom, Jerry was a generous benefactor and advisor in the academic community. He and his first wife, Elsie, established the Jerome J. and Elsie Suran Endowed Scholarship Fund at Syracuse University with a gift to support undergraduate engineering students . Suran also created an engineering scholarship at UC Davis in honor of his parents, Arthur and Julia, to help future electrical engineering students . In 1999, as UC Davis was expanding its programs, Jerry and Elsie Suran committed funding to endow the first faculty chair in the Graduate School of Management at UC Davis .

During his GE career, the Jerry and Elsie lived in the Syracuse area from 1952 until 1978 . In the early 1980's they relocated to the Davis, California area when Jerry began his affiliation with UC Davis. They enjoyed traveling throughout the world including to China when it just opened up to foreigners, Russia, Israel and many other countries as part of Jerry's role as worldwide President of the IEEE. They hosted many events at their home for UC Davis faculty and students. After moving west, they settled in El Macero, CA (near Davis), which remained Jerry's home for the rest of his life. Tragically, Elsie passed away in 2003 at the age of 83 .

Jerry's family was a source of great pride and joy for him. In the early 1960's, Jerry and Elsie met their Israeli relatives, the Reiss family, including their cousin Tuvia (Poldie) Reiss during their first trip to Israel. That relationship would last for over 60 years as Uzi, Ziva, Ori and Tsur Reiss moved to the States, including eight years in Davis. Without having other relatives in the US, Jerry and Elsie became surrogate parents and grandparents to three generations of the Reiss family, celebrating birthdays, Passover Seders and Thanksgivings together. The Reiss clan grew as Ori and Galia Reiss had three children together, Yuval Suran Reiss, Roey Reiss and Talia Reiss. Yuval is named after Jerry and Elsie Suran. Tsur married Julia Dorfman and they have a daughter, Ariella Reiss.

In 2005, Jerry was introduced to Helen Singer who had been widowed after 50 years of marriage to Mitchell Singer. Jerry had expressed to some mutual friends that he was ready to "meet a nice Jewish lady about his age", and thus the introduction was made. After two years of dating, Jerry proposed to Helen and they were married on February 4, 2007, and she became Helen Singer Suran. At that time, Jerry had expressed the hope that they could have 10 good years together and indeed they did. They were able to enjoy working for their favorite organizations and philanthropic causes, and going on many fun cruises. But mostly, Jerry had the pleasure of being integrated into Helen's family, as a father figure and golf partner to Jon Wolfson, and Brenda Wolfson and as "grandpa Jerry" to Helen's three grandchildren, Elana Kaminka (Eyal), Jeremy Wolfson (Agnieszka) and Matthew Wolfson (Ashley) and nine great grandchildren (Yannai, of blessed memory, Liam, Timna & Nevo Kaminka, Josef, Anya, Vincent, Delilah, and Laraia wolfson. He was able to enjoy family vacations in Mexico, Hawaii and Jamaica, attend weddings from California to Poland, bar mitzvahs in Israel, and even a baptism or two.

As Jerry and Helen's health declined over the last few years they were able to experience the comfort of living at home until Jerry's passing, with the assistance of their devoted, caregivers, Ama and Toukasa. Until one month before his passing, Jerry was ambulatory and able to read fluently from the Wall Street Journal without glasses! He passed away peacefully on March 22 at the ripe age of 99 - a life well lived!

Funeral services will be held at the Davis cemetery, graveside,on April 16 at 10 AM followed by a reception at congregation Bet Haverim in the social hall, where the family will love to share your happy memories. Any donations in Jerry's memory can be made to the UC Davis graduate school of management or congregation. Bet Haverim in Davis, California.