Remembering A Legend: Jerry Grantham

My friend Jerry Grantham was born on November 8, 1947 in Los Angeles.  During the ‘50s and early ‘60s, he would visit the Central Coast of California on family camping trips.  On those excursions, Jerry would surf and work part time at the Pismo Beach Surf Shop, which had opened in 1962.  It was in that shop’s shaping room that he carved out his first surfboard – at the age of 15.  A few years later, Jerry’s family moved to the Central Coast, where he began building his name as a respected and innovative surfboard craftsman, both locally and later in Hawaii.

Jerry Grantham died peacefully on January 15, 2026 in Hilo, Hawaii.  Like many other young surfers growing up on the Central Coast in the ‘60s and ‘70s, I really looked up to Jerry.  He ruled the waves at the Pismo pier and Hazard Canyon.  I swear he could have been the honorary mayor of Pismo Beach.  His influence on the surf culture was profound; not only was he a well-known shaper and surf retailer, he promoted youth surfing programs and organized local amateur surf contests as a director of the Western Surfing Association (WSA).

In 1986, Jerry opened JG Surf and Sport in nearby Arroyo Grande. Windsurfing was in its heyday, and the store was conveniently located on the way to a popular windsurfing spot.  While Jerry had taken his shaping skills to this burgeoning new sport, I had become a rep for a windsurfing hardware company.  His shop became one of my top accounts.

Jerry started shaping surfboards under the familiar JG Surfboards label in 1969.  The logo itself is reflective of who Jerry was as a human being; it was designed so that its colors and shape symbolize the brotherhood of all humanity.  The surfing community will remember Jerry for his influence and heartfelt dedication to the surf lifestyle.  I will remember him for always being kind to me.

Rest in peace, Jerry.  You will be missed by many.