Dr. William James Kirwin Jr

Doctor William James Kirwin, Jr. passed away peacefully at St. Patrick's Mercy Home in Newfoundland, Canada on August 4, 2016; he was age 91. He was predeceased by his father, mother, brother-in-law, and nephew, William J. and Mary C. Kirwin of Middletown, RI, Donald R. Patch of Middletown, RI, and Carl F. Patch of New York City. He is survived by his sister Virginia K. Patch, of San Diego, California, niece Marianne G. Patch, also of San Diego, his nephew Keith D. Patch and wife Linda, of Lexington, Massachusetts, and four grand-nephews a"Ryan J., Grant W., Taylor C., and Casey J. Patch. Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Bill excelled in anything academic, from his public school education in Rhode Island (Rogers High School class of 1943), his undergraduate work at Bowdoin College, Maine, to his Ph. D. studies in English Language at the University of Chicago in 1954 with a dissertation involving grammatical analyses of facsimiles of the four earliest manuscripts of Chaucers Canterbury Tales. During World War II, he spent 2 1/2 years in the U.S. Army 202nd Battalion Combat Engineers, participating in the Battle of the Bulge, and fighting his way across Europe to Germany. In 1959, William received an appointment at Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland in the Department of English Language and Literature, where he remained an active professor and then an emeritus professor until his illness in 2012. He will be remembered for his considerable contributions to the preservation of the language heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador. He developed the first Memorial programs in English Linguistics and research on the English dialects of the province, as well as the creation of Memorial University's English Language Research Centre. Among many other achievements, he was a driving force behind and coeditor of the Dictionary of Newfoundland English (published 1982) and founding coeditor of Newfoundland Studies. He also edited the amended edition of Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland (1998). In 1983, William was awarded St John's man of the year for his outstanding contributions to the English Language studies at Memorial University. In 2012 he received an honorary doctor of letters degree at the Memorial University graduation convocation ceremony. He was a member of numerous professional organizations: Modern Language Association of America, the Linguistic Society of America, Devonshire Association, Dorset Historical and Archaeological Society, Newport Historical Society, Association of Canadian University Teachers of English, Canadian Linguistic Association, American Dialect Society, Newfoundland Historical Society, American Name Society. He was an avid gardener and music aficionado, and enjoyed taking vigorous walks around the Newfoundland countryside.A special thank you to his wonderful caregivers at St. Patrick's Mercy Home, Newfoundland, as well as Randy McCormack, Prof. Bob Hollett, and Dr. George Casey, his loyal friends of 35 years. Burial will be held Saturday October 7, 2017 at 11 am at the St. Marys Churchyard Cemetery, 324 East Main Road, Portsmouth, RI. Donations in his memory may be made to the charity of your choice. Cemetery Details St. Mary's Episcopal Churchyard 324 East Main Road Portsmouth, RI, 02871 Service OCT 7. 11:00 AM St. Marys Episcopal Churchyard 324 East Main Road Portsmouth, RI, US, 02871