Rev. James Harvey Irwin, Jr.

The Rev. James Harvey Irwin, Jr., of Atlanta, Georgia, died peacefully in his sleep on July 8, 2026, at the age of 89. A member of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Jim was preceded in death by his parents, James Harvey Irwin and Florence Anderson Irwin; his sister, Lucille Irwin Sorensen; his brother, Samuel Coe Irwin; and his son, Scott David Irwin.

Jim is survived by his wife of 67 years, Alberta Pattangall Irwin; his sons, James Kirk Irwin of Carbondale, Illinois, and Ian Malcolm Irwin (Joanna) of Atlanta, Georgia; his grandchildren, James Andrew Irwin (Jessie Reuteler) of Chicago, Illinois, and Charles Albert Irwin and Sadie Elizabeth Irwin, both of Atlanta; and his great-grandchildren, Eloise Jean Reuteler Irwin and Sylvie Zola Irwin Reuteler of Chicago.

Jim was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on March 25, 1937. He grew up in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and graduated first in his class at Brockton High School in Brockton, Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1959, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1962, he earned a Master of Divinity degree, with honors, from Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

Following his graduation from seminary, Jim was ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacraments in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and served churches in Auburn and Westfield, New York; Fairborn and Cincinnati, Ohio; and Jackson, Tennessee. Jim held various leadership roles with the Presbytery and, in 1990, the General Assembly elected him to serve on the Committee in Examinations, which wrote the exams that all Presbyterian seminary seniors were required to pass before they could be ordained. He served as chair of the committee from 1995 to 2002.

After retiring to Atlanta in 2001, Jim served as Interim Pastor in Presbyterian churches in Tucker, Stone Mountain, Conyers, North Decatur, and Sandy Springs, Georgia. Jim was a clergy affiliate member of Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Atlanta where he sang in the Chancel Choir.

A service in Witness to the Resurrection and in Gratitude to God for the life of the Rev. James H. Irwin, Jr., will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at Central Presbyterian Church, 201 Washington Street SW, Atlanta, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Central Outreach & Advocacy Center, housed in Central Presbyterian Church and focused on overcoming and preventing homelessness.