Edward Jouret
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Edward Eugene Jouret, beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, and grandfather passed away peacefully on August 31, 2022, with family members at his side. He was 83. Ed was raised in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.
He was drafted into the Army in the early 1960s where he served with pride stateside, principally in Fort Benning, Georgia, where his first son, Michael, was born. Honorable discharge in hand, he returned to working at the family furniture store. One snowy day he spotted a sailing magazine which led to a sailing class in St. Petersburg, Florida, with his then wife, Anne. So intrigued were they with the experience that they decided to move to St. Petersburg in a recession without any clear prospects for employment at hand. But they did have Ed's energy, entrepreneurialism, confidence, and optimism that things would work out. And indeed, they did.
Many who knew Ed would share his family's assessment that he was among the most upright, steady, and respectable men we ever met. He eventually bought and successfully ran a True Value Hardware store in Gulfport, Florida. He met and married Carolyn there in 1986, happily spending the remaining 36 years of his life with her. He welcomed stepdaughter Eve and stepson David into his life and embraced their growing families as his own.
He rescued a $600 bungalow in St. Petersburg destined for demolition (it sat upon a future parking lot) and liberated it 70 miles north to undeveloped land in Brooksville, Florida. With Carolyn's help, he restored and expanded it, creating a little farm. They eventually added a barn and to Nathan the Horse and Donkey Odie (a comic nod to Cervantes).
Ed and Carolyn split their time between St. Petersburg and Brooksville until Stefan and Eve went to college, when they retired and embarked on months-long jaunts (often by RV) that eventually took them to all 50 states, including a long stint in Smoky Mountain National Park, where Ed served as a Park Ranger. They also traveled a good bit of Canada's eastern provinces, with their adventures including being "screeched in" by the Newfies. In later years, Ed and Carolyn would travel to parts of South America and Western Europe before the Pandemic set in and clipped their travel wings.
Ed had kind, expressive eyes, a ready mirthful smile, and the warmest heart. He never failed to let his family know he loved them. He was a sports fan (particularly Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Florida Gators teams). He loved the American west and classic American cars, owning at various points a convertible 1964 T-Bird, a convertible 1968 Mustang, a convertible 1969 Chevelle and a purple 1970 El Camino.
Ed's surviving family includes son Mike, his wife Mandie, their two daughters Alyssa and Haley; son Stefan and his two sons Joe and Teddy; wife Carolyn and stepson David, his wife Jule, and their daughter "Little Eve" and son Eli; stepdaughter Eve and her husband, Walter; Ed's brother Bob and his wife Georgia and their children Michelle, Eric and Mark, and grandchildren; and adored sister Barbara.
Services for Ed will be Tuesday, September 6th, 2022, at 11am at Christ United Methodist Church, 1313 Griffin Road, Leesburg, FL 34748. Internment: Florida National Cemetery, 6502 SW 102nd Avenue, Bushnell, FL, 33513, Wednesday, September 7th, 2022 at 1130am. Beyers Funeral Home of Leesburg, FL will be handling all arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be sent to www.honorflight.org