| You probably won’t see Ron Jimmar around Kennedy Heights during the day because he’s worked all night baking and frying many varieties of donuts at his business, Silverton Donut Shop, located at 7414 Montgomery Rd. (near the post office). When he, his sister, and five brothers moved to Kennedy Heights from Mt. Auburn, he entered second grade at Kennedy Elementary. He remembers going from arts and crafts at his old school to studying the solar system at Kennedy and it took him many years to catch up. Because he stuttered, he was shy and introverted, but he overcame this with speech therapy he received at school. He also studied piano in grade 3 at Kennedy. “It was a great school,” he remembers, “and we even had gym class.”
His parents moved him to Nativity in grade 4 so he could receive religious instruction. He went on to graduate from Purcell High School and Xavier University. His four best buddies were from Kennedy Heights, and one was the best man in his wedding. He delivered the Suburban Life, Enquirer, and Post newspapers for several years as a teenager. The papers would be dropped at “the Loop,” the end of the street car line where Family Dollar is now.
He has fond memories of the old Kennedy Heights business district: the best chicken was at Carter’s, Al’s Pony Keg (where the Laundromat is now), two grocery stores, a meat market, a bank, an insurance company, pharmacy, 5 & 10 store, malt shop, among others. He used to hang out with friends at the old water tower (Bantry & Iris) and at Robison Park (so called because there was a Kennedy Park behind the elementary school).
Ron was a nursing home administrator for thirteen years before his brother Tommy convinced him and his dad to purchase The Donut Stop in Pleasant Ridge in 1989, which had been out of business for some time. Tommy managed the shop with his wife Hanna until his illness in 2003. Ron worked there at night. They had a thriving business with a loyal customer base when an opportunity led them to move to a larger location in Silverton.
In 1997 Ron purchased his childhood home from his father and moved back to Kennedy Heights. The Silverton Donut Shop won the “Best Donuts in Cincinnati” award and is certified kosher year round. Stop in Tuesday through Sunday early (5 a.m. weekdays, 6 a.m. weekends) and, if you’re lucky, you may catch sight of Ron before he goes home to sleep.
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