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To them, he was dad.
"He was just a great dad," said Bacon's son, Jules E. Bacon, who was born more than 15 years after his father's Mr. America fame. "To me, he was just a regular person. He was always taking care of me."
His older sister, Marian Painter, also recalled Bacon as a fun, caring father. "I knew he was a body builder and had been Mr. America ... It was just separate from our lives."
Bacon, who was inducted into the York Barbell Hall of Fame and the York Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a weightlifter, died at his home Saturday after years of declining health. He was 89.
He is survived by his three children, three grandchildren and a brother.
His family said he loved flea markets, fitness training and beach vacations. Their father's wish was that his ashes be scattered across the ocean, Painter said.
Bacon's love for his family and fitness defined his life, his family said. A Philadelphia native, Bacon moved to York County more than 40 years ago and made it his home.
He worked at York International and had a couple of gyms in the area called the Jules Bacon Health Clubs, where he helped others train and sculpt their bodies, his family said. He retired in 1979, but continued to train people well into his 70s, Jules E. Bacon
"I can remember him helping me train, helping me with my diet," Bacon's youngest son said.
During his weightlifting career, Bacon was named Mr. America and Mr. Universe. He was featured on the covers of several magazines in the 1940s and 1950s, including Strength & Health, Your Physique and IronMan, according to the Web site musclememory.com.
Bacon was an active weightlifter, touring the country with others in exhibition tours, but always made time for family. Painter said her father loved animals and would often bring them home from trips.
Once, when she was 8 or 9 years old, Painter remembers going to the bathroom door and reading a sign that warned them not to use the shower or tub because there was an alligator there.
Painter said, "I thought, 'Come on dad, gimme a break.'"
She pulled back the shower curtain - and found a small, baby alligator in the tub.
"Dad was always bringing animals home," Painter said with a laugh. "He once bought home a billy goat. We had dogs, cats ... I even had a squirrel he brought home that turned into a pet."
