John F. "Jack" Kirwan Obituary (1931 - 2015)

John F. Jack Kirwan, 83, of Reno, NV, formerly of Colfax, died on Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at his home in Reno, Nevada.The funeral mass will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at St Patrick Catholic Church of Merna, where visitation will be held one hour prior to services. The Mnsgr. Gregory Ketcham will officiate. Interment will follow services at Holy Cross Cemetery, Merna. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Patrick Church of Merna. To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.Jack was born November 6, 1931 in Colfax, Illinois, son of William and Minnie Gerth Kirwan.A graduate of Colfax High School, he was a U.S. Navy veteran. A lifelong love of travel was born while he was serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway during the Korean War. After the war, he began working at ATT and attending the University of Illinois.On September 20, 1958 he married Ann P. McKeon in Bloomington and they had two children, Nancy and Tom. He continued to pursue his education through marriage, fatherhood, and a full-time career, graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelors degree in Business in 1971.A job with Farinon Electric took the family to San Jose, California, in 1972. There, he discovered a passion for bicycling, riding thousands of miles every year and celebrating his birthday by riding as many miles as he was old until he was 82. He and Ann retired to Reno, where they were close to their growing grandchildren. He continued to follow the San Francisco Giants and 49ers and to wait till next year with the Cubs, and became a fan of the local University of Nevada, Reno football team. Along with a love of sports, he passed down a love of reading, a love of history and a love of laughter.He is survived by his wife, Ann of Reno; daughter, Nancy Kirwan of Campbell, CA; son, Tom (Lupe) Kirwan of Meadow Vista, CA; and two grandchildren, Sarah and John. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Bill and sister-in-law, Katie of Colfax.