Florida Jeweler Bob Dubose Dies at 90

Vero Beach, Fla.--Jeweler Robert “Bob” Dubose of Vero Beach, Florida jewelry store Dubose & Sons Jewelers died May 3 at the age of 90.

He was part of a long familial legacy in the jewelry industry, representing the third of five generations to work at the family store.

DuBose joined the business in 1946 after serving in the U.S. Navy, his son Mike Dubose told National Jeweler.

He attended Bradley University in Illinois to study jewelry and watch repairs, hand-engraving and business.

“Dad just enjoyed the business,” Mike said. “He went to school to do the watch repair and jewelry repair but he looked at it like he was more of a businessman (who) wanted to learn the whole business so he could manage his employees.”

The elder Dubose was involved in his community beyond just being the local jeweler.

Mike explained, “He also was on the city council, school board and fire department for 40 years. He was very community active.”

A strong and diverse work ethic seems to run in the family.

Mike’s grandfather, JC Dubose, founded the store in 1911 in Fort Pierce, Florida, which neighbors Vero Beach.

“He was doing watch repair prior to 1907 in Lake City,” said Mike Dubose. “His wife got sick and from that point on, he wanted to become a preacher. He did the jewelry and watch repair while he was going to school to be a preacher and that’s when he ran across Fort Pierce, which needed a preacher.

“In 1911 he did watch repair out of a dry goods store in Fort Pierce and did the preaching on the weekends.”

The preacher/jeweler’s interests didn’t end there. When his son Oscar (Bob’s father) finished serving in the Navy, he took over the store at age 24 or 25 so JC Dubose could work as an eye doctor.

“JC still worked in the store but he was one of the first eye doctors here in Florida,” Mike said.

Through the years, Dubose & Sons Jewelers, which has had slight variations to the store name over its century-plus in business, boasted as many as seven store locations in Florida.

When Bob decided to retire in the 1990s he shut down the stores, but Mike reopened one location in Vero Beach.

Bob ended up coming back to work for his son.

“He was in the jewelry store up until