John "Jay" Eben Bird III

John "Jay" Eben Bird III passed away on December 19, 2022 at John Knox Village in Fort Lauderdale. It will be difficult to summarize a man that lived a life full of so much adventure and boil it down to a few paragraphs but we will do our best.

Jay was born in Bradford, PA on October 31, 1945 to his parents, John Eben Bird II and Elizabeth Quinette. He and his brother, Bill, grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky.

With a thirst for adventure, Jay became an encyclopedia of experiences. An embodiment of living life to its absolute fullest, he left no fine stone unturned (literally and figuratively). Driven by curiosity, he explored the world pursuing his many passions: art, photography, skydiving, gemology, scuba diving, among a host of others.

He held a number of different jobs throughout his life: owning the Blue Jay Lounge in Reno, Nevada, photographing on both land and sea, sometimes for National Geographic, and imparting his aerial and marine wisdom as a PADI divemaster and skydiving instructor. He hitchhiked across North Africa, had a Mountain Lion as a pet, watched movies in John Wayne's private home cinema, got dropped off into Woodstock via helicopter, sky dove with not one, but two of his cats (jury's still out on whether they enjoyed this despite Johnny's affirmations that they did). A first class gourmand and aficionado of wines, he loved caviar, 18 year old Whiskey Macallan, and was a sucker for Eggs Benedict.

Jay was a private man but those that were lucky enough to be in his close circle were the beneficiaries of loyalty, wisdom, and generosity. This included his family, "Uncle Johnny" to six, great-uncle to 10, and a brother to Bill. There is no contesting that he was the most interesting Bird. His family feels lucky to have been struck by the same curiosity and thirst for travel and adventure. He leaves behind his brother, Bill, and his handsome Maine Coon, Gallagher.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Ocean Conservancy or Dr. Susan Love Foundation.