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Obituary of Harold Jay Kirchheimer
Harold “Jay” Kirchheimer, 72, passed away on June 23 with his family at his bedside.
Jay was born in Chicago, IL on December 13, 1950, to the late Jeanne Simon and Harold Kirchheimer.
Jay attended school in both Illinois and New York, graduating from Highland Park High School (IL). As a teenager, Jay spent his summers in Southampton, NY where he learned to surf, a pastime he enjoyed for most of his life.
After graduating high school, Jay moved to Telluride, CO to pursue the “hippy” lifestyle in the Great Rocky Mountains. While he was thrilled to meet people like John Denver, Steven Stills and David Crosby during his time in Telluride, after a few years living in mountain cabins heated only by a wood burning stove, he returned to Chicago.
Upon his return, Jay worked at Kirchheimer Brothers, a family-owned retail packaging manufacturer and printer. Even though Jay continued in this trade for most of his life, his love of music and the music scene brought him back to NYC.
In NYC, Jay began working at a well-known live music club called Tramps. His roles included working the sound board, bartending, and “roadie” work. The club scene took its toll on Jay, so in the 1990s he moved to Amagansett, NY.
It was there in 1993 where Jay met his wife, Ronnie at a nightclub (one of Jay’s favorite places) where one of his favorite bands, Loup Garou, was performing their unique take on Louisiana Zydeco. That night was the birth of a 30-year bond between Jay and Ronnie.
Jay moved to Tampa, FL in 1995 to be close to his aging mother and in 1998, Ronnie relocated from NYC to be with Jay. That year, they started their own retail packing business, JNR Pack.
On August 24, 1999, Jay and Ronnie’s son Jacob was born, their only child and greatest gift.
Jay was a loving and devoted father to Jacob: teaching him to surf, fostering a deep appreciation of music, supporting him through Boy Scouts and rowing crew. Jay always showed Jacob his pride for all his son’s accomplishments.
Jay will be remembered as a fun-loving guy. He loved listening to bands at Skippers and Tropical Heatwave, going to Rays games with his cousin Art, visiting Southampton to see his childhood friends Evan and David, barbequing ribs with Joe and Jim, and the numerous road trips with his loving family from Massachusetts to Key West.
Finally, a quote from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: “And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation”.
We believe that Jay knew he was loved by so many.
