John Reed Irwin, a longtime resident of Darien and member of the summer community in Greensboro, Vt., died at his home surrounded by family on Monday, May 16th. He was married to Elizabeth (Betty) Cooke Irwin for 57 years and died at 91 after a brief illness.
He was born in Evanston, Il., on Aug. 2, 1919. He grew up in Bronxville, N.Y., and graduated from Deerfield Academy. From his early 20s, Irwin summered with his family in Greensboro. He attended Williams College, where he played on the football team and graduated in 1942.
During World War II, he served as a sergeant in the Army Air Force, where he was a radio operator in the South Pacific. After a brief role with AT&T, he joined the Chicago office of the family tea importing business, Irwin, Harrisons and Whitney. He married Betty Cooke on Dec. 28, 1953, and they settled in Lake Forest, Il., where they started a family.
He rose to vice president of the firm and moved to Darien in 1969. He traveled extensively in Asia and Africa buying tea from plantations, and retired from the firm in 1981 after 34 years.
In Darien, he was active in various volunteer activities, including many years of service for Person-to-Person, which was associated with his church, St. Luke's Parish. He was a member of the Country Club of Darien, where he was an avid golfer and tennis player.
In addition to his wife, he leaves his two sons, Reed of Burlington, Vt., and his wife, Ann, and Brad of New Canaan, and his wife, Cathy, and their two daughters, Jenny and Emily Irwin; his sister-in-law, Harriett Irwin of Stowe, Vt.; his brother-in-law, John Purdy and his wife, Patti, of Savannah, Ga.; his nieces and nephews and their families, and many devoted friends. His older brother, Peter, who worked with him for many years in the family business, passed away in 2006.
A memorial service will be held at the United Church of Christ in Greensboro on July 16 at 3 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to Person-to-Person, 1864 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820.
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