William J os e p h (Jay) Kirby, 83, of Winnetka, Illinois and Vero Beach , F lorida, passed away on June 30, 2021, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Baltimore, MD on September 23, 1937, first son to William J ose ph Kirby a nd Marj orie Marie Wagner . Jay graduated from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, PA, Pennsylvania State University BS and Cornell University with his Master ' s degree from the ILR School. He was married to Cathe rine Craig (Kitty) on June 17, 1961.

Jay re t i red as a senior vice president after 42 years at FMC Corporation . He and his wife have resided for the past 51 years in the Chicago suburbs and the past 33 years in Ve ro Beach, F lorida .

Jay is survived by his wife Kitty and their children : Bill (Leslie Taylor ) of Rowayton, CT, Craig (Maureen Ward) of Wilmette, IL, and David (Amanda Stokes) of Westport, C T. He is a lso survived by ten grandchildren: Elizabeth, Cameron, And re w, William, Chandler, Lindsay, Jake, Matthew, Georgia and Catherine. He is also su rvived by his brother , David Wagner Kirby , si ster, Constan ce Kirb y Bain , sis ter-in-law, Molly Cr aig Bill ings ley , br other-in-law Frank P ratt Billingsley , dear f riend J ennifer Cole, and nieces Cather ine B illingsley S cha e ffer, Caroline B illingsley Parr, Saman tha B a i n Dut ill and Chri sti n e Eli zabeth Bain.

Jay enjoyed athletic co mpe tition thro ug hou t his life. He ran track and cro ss country at Penn State. He loved te nnis, bi king, skiing and regularly atten d ed h is children ' s and gra ndchi ldren ' s sp orting events of a ll kinds . He also rel ished hunting with his black Labrador R etri ev ers and the c amarad e rie and compe tition of skeet shooting in Florida . A warm and gracious host, Jay enjoyed the company of family and friends th r o ughout h is life and welcomed a ll into his ho me .

Jay traveled the world over a lifetime and cherished the opportunity to discover new places, new culture s and hidden secrets of foreign lands. For m any years, Jay and Kitty spent vacations bikin g through Europe with a great group of friends from Ch ic a go. He a lways rode up one more hill . Quoting one of his favorite columnists, Charles Krauthammer, " I leave this life with no regrets. It was a wonderful life—full of great lo ves and great endeavors that mad e i t worth li ving."

A Memorial Service will ta ke place on Friday, August 20 at 11 AM at the Kenilworth Union Church, 211 Kenil worth Aven ue, Kenilworth, IL . The service will be held out doors in the M emorial Garden , weat her permitting .

Memorial contributions may be made to : Indian River Land Trust, 8 0 Royal P alm Pointe, Suite 301, Vero Beach F L 32960, Field Museum, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago IL 60605 or Roosevelt University, 430 S Michigan A venue, Chicago IL 6060 5.

Online condolences may be shared at www. coxgiffordseawin ds.com .