Obituary of James J Kirby

James Joseph Kirby of Oxford, NJ passed away on November 16, 2015. A retired engineer, contractor/business owner and technical writer, Jim had many talents and hobbies. He was an avid outdoorsman—hiking, sailing, canoeing, camping--and amateur historian of the American Revolution. He was a voracious reader and an ardent animal lover. He was a congregant of the Sabbath observing, Flemington Church of God and spent thousands of hours studying the Bible He loved heated political discussions, dancing, Acadia National Park in Maine, baking whole-grain bread, gardening, poetry, writing, traveling, the outdoors, and any projects around the house that involved insulation or epoxy. He is survived by his wife, Lois and five of his six children: Peter, Philip, Theresa, Brendan and Lorna. One daughter, Jen Kirby Chin, passed away in December 2007. He is also survived by his brother, Michael (Mitzie), and sister, Kate of Oakland, CA. He was the proud grandfather of fourteen grandchildren: Eli, Amanda, Samantha and Zachary Kirby, Julianne and James Kirby, Alexandra and Louisa Johanesen, Stephanie, Alyssa, Caitlyn and Mack Kirby, Helen and Philip Chin and three (3) great grandchildren, Donavan, Nicholas and Shane and, Dancie, his beloved dog. He is predeceased by his brother, John, and sister, Jane This first generation Irishman was born in Brooklyn before moving to Staten Island. He talked often and lovingly of years caddying at the Silver Lake Golf Course. He worked at the Meyer farm in the Catskills when he was 17 and—from that time—dreamed of owning and running a farm. Thankfully, that never happened. He met his wife at Tottenville High School. She taught him to dance and to love garlic. They were engaged by mail while he served in Korea. They married shortly after his return in 1955. They were best friends and newspaper sharers for over 60 years. Memorial Service/Gathering will be Wednesday, November 18th from 5 to 8 PM at DeVoe Funeral Service 136 W. Washington Ave. Washington, NJ 07882. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Acadia National Park, Me.