James L. Kirwan, Jr.

James L. Kirwan, Jr., age 80, of Nokomis, FL, passed away on October 12, 2014. He was born on October 9, 1934 in Atchison, Kansas to James L. Kirwan, Sr. and Elva Ida (Delzeit) Kirwan. James attended Creighton University for one year and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1957 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for the Maytag Corporation from January 1957 through July 1993, retiring as VP of Manufacturing. He then worked for ICP in Lewisburg, TN from May 1996 through February 1998, retiring as Senior VP of Operations. In 1999, he authored a book titled Level Loading Production. Jim was a very caring, courageous and humble man. He always had a smile for everyone. Jim had a strong faith in God, a great sense of humor, and was a positive influence and inspiration to all who knew him. Jim had an amazing memory and could recall details from years past at a moment's notice. He loved life to the fullest and spending time with his family and friends. He was known for sharing funny stories and silly jokes. Jim and Jane enjoyed traveling in their motor home, visiting 49 of the 50 US States, as well as traveling abroad. His interests included golf, bocce ball, horseshoes, and card games - especially Texas Hold ‘em. He also enjoyed shooting pool and shooting hoops (playing horse). Anytime he could, he would listen to Marty Robbins. Jim had a cow/calf operation in Nebraska and raised 12 horses in his lifetime. Some of Jim's favorite sayings were: ""Don't look back, they might be gaining on you"" and ""Don't sweat the small stuff, because it's all small stuff"". James is survived by his beloved wife of 25 years, Jane (Timmons) Kirwan, of Nokomis; son Dr. Randall J. Kirwan of Sabetha, KS; daughter Dr. Rhonda Kirwan of Estero, FL; son Bradley J. Freburg (Cheryl) of Hinsdale, IL; sister Dorothy Hill of Denver, CO; grandchildren Amanda, Mateo, Jillian, Alec, and Hana; and also niece Nikala Timmons and nephew Dylan Timmons who are like our grandchildren too; and many other special nieces and nephews; and his beloved pet Lexie. He was preceded in death by his sister Mary. Jim was a blessing to our family. Thank you, God, for the years he was with us. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Osprey on Friday, November 7th at 11 AM. A Celebration of Life will follow the service at the Encore Resort Park in Nokomis. Memorial donations may be made to the National Parkinson Foundation Gift Processing Center, PO Box 5018 Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018, or a Catholic Charity of choice. For those who would like to donate in memory of James L. Kirwan for an Encore Park memorial, checks should be made to Bill Rudy, treasurer of the Encore Resident’s Association. Farley Funeral Home, Venice Chapel is in charge of arrangements. To share a memory of James visit www.farleyfuneralhome.com.