Frederick 'Skip' Weingeroff, 93

Frederick “Skip” Weingeroff, 93, of Providence; Palm Beach, Florida; and New Seabury, Massachusetts, died peacefully Sept. 28. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, he was the only child of the late Louis and Ida (Goldberg) Weingeroff. He moved to Providence after fighting in the Korean War.

Skip was the consummate jewelry entrepreneur, starting Weingeroff Enterprises in 1957 with his father, Louis. Over the decades, he owned more than 26 businesses, but perhaps two of his biggest claims to fame were his “quick to market” mood rings of the late 1970s and becoming the largest jewelry supplier to the burgeoning “home shopping club” frenzy (HSN and QVC) in the 1980s. The business employed hundreds of people over the years and included fashion jewelry manufacturing, ring manufacturing, boxes and packaging, picture frames, Christmas ornaments and chain manufacturing. In addition, he held numerous licensing deals with the U.S. Olympics, MLB, Barbie/Mattel and Jay Strongwater. He became a trusted, key designer/supplier to Joan Rivers for her highly successful Jewelry Show on QVC. All of it was accomplished under the roof of his large, modern manufacturing facilities on Weingeroff Boulevard in Cranston.

Skip is survived by his wife, Lynne Suzanne (Zarum) Weingeroff, and his children, Lisa Weingeroff and Jackie Weingeroff Gershwind (Erik); four grandchildren, Jolie Weingeroff Issa (Nicole), Jake, Sophie and Max Gershwind, and two great-grandchildren, Genevieve and Theodore Issa. He was predeceased by his son, Gregg, daughter-in-law, Dawn, and grandson, Leland Weingeroff.

Donations in Skip’s memory can be made to The Miriam Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box H, Providence, R.I. 02901.