Jay (John Jeffrey) Kirwin

Jay (John Jeffrey) Kirwin passed away suddenly on May 12, 2025. Jay is missed by his wife Heather (nee Bishop) and his best fur friend Grimlock. He was a devoted son to Debbie (nee Liddle) and Ross (2022); brother to Andrew (Amy) and brother-in-law to Neil (Daniella), Shannon (Ryan) and John (Tanya). He was uncle and “Chief Instigator” to William, Abigail, Chelsea, Cameron, Samantha, Jack, and Alexandra.

Jay was born in Toronto on August 26, 1975. He spent his younger years in Bramalea, and at the age of nine moved to North Toronto with his family. He attended high school at Lawrence Park Collegiate and post-secondary at Carlton University.

At the age of sixteen he began his first summer job as a dishwasher at Cleveland House Resort in Muskoka. Upon his return to “Cleve’s” the following year he was able to negotiate his way into the kitchen where he earned the nickname “Baker.”

In his early twenties, Jay travelled to Alberta to work at a lodge in Kananaskis. Jay preferred living closer to family and friends and moved back to Ontario a year later. In 2000, Jay joined a contract manufacturing furniture company called Spec Furniture founded by his dad in 1991. Spec offered Jay the opportunity to work in assembly, customer service, design, scheduling and purchasing. One senior executive and partner (no not Ross) gave Jay the mantle of “product configurator guru.” Jay was a valued and well-respected team member who others relied on for consistency and product knowledge.

Jay enjoyed the serenity and beauty of the outdoors. Jay enjoyed fishing and hunting on annual trips with his dad. Jay loved spending time with Gramps who would take him fishing by plane into a locked in lake and camp out. At the end of the day they would settle round the fire, cook the catch of the day, and tell stories.

Jay later became “Coach” to his teammates across multiple sports, including volleyball, softball, all sorts of sports and dodgeball. Jay made forever friends on the “Troublemakers,” “Fall Ballers,” “Mayhem” and “Aluminum Falcons.” The highlight of Jay’s sports career was qualifying for the national softball championships with the “Batwings.”

Jay’s favourite weekend of the year was “Volleyball Weekend.” It was a 20-year tradition when his best friends and family would gather at the Kirwin’s home in Huntsville. Everyone invited slept in a tent, enjoyed volleyball matches, sat around a campfire, and enjoyed Jay’s carefully curated fireworks display. More recently, volleyball matches were replaced with a large flotation device designed to accommodate six adults along with a built-in cooler for hydration. It provided the perfect opportunity for Jay to banter with his friends, relax and spend time with people he held dear. At the final dinner each year, he led a toast and shared how grateful he was for his friends and family in attendance.

A special thank you to the “Bats of Us” team members who provided immediate first aid and to the critical care staff at Humber River Health. Details for a Celebration of life to follow. Jay was diligent, caring, fun, dependable, funny, loyal, sincere, and thoughtful. As a testament of his generosity, Jay gave the gift of life through tissue donation which will provide sight to others. Please consider organ and tissue donation by registering your wishes in Ontario at www.beadonor.ca. In lieu of flowers, donations gratefully accepted to the The Heart and Stroke Foundation  https://heartandstrokeinmemory.crowdchange.ca/page/jaykirwin