Jay Christian

When reflecting on the life of Jay Christian, it is easy to see that he made an enormous impact in the world around him. He was giving and generous beyond compare, and he made it his mission in life to make a difference in the lives of everyone he could. Jay was deeply devoted to his community, and he was well known and respected by everyone he met. A loving family man, he treasured his loved ones, and it is clear that his grandchildren were the apple of his eye. Life will never be the same without Jay here, but he leaves behind a timeless legacy that is deeply rooted in compassion, kindness, and unconditional love that his family will proudly carry on in his footsteps.

The 1930s were trying times as the entire decade was cloaked in the hardship of the Great Depression. With a soaring unemployment rate there were few American families who didn’t feel the strain. As the decade was drawing to a close things were looking better, but they still had a long way to go. To make matters worse, WWII was gaining momentum overseas. It was during this pivotal time that John and May Christian were pleased to announce the birth of the baby boy they named J. Chatman on Thursday, March 23, 1939, in Cow Hollow, near Bartley, West Virginia, in McDowell County. J.C., as he was called as a young boy, learned the values of working hard, self-sacrifice, and doing what needs to be done. He was often the one having to carry water to the house from the bottom of the hollow. The spring next to the house made it easier. Jay was 19 when they got electricity at the house. He attended local schools and graduated from Big Creek High School in 1957, becoming the first male in his family to do so.

As a young man, Jay was eager for all that life had in store. He didn’t get a job in the coal mines, rather, he found work in a butcher shop for $.50 an hour. Jay then got a factory job up North in the factory and foundry, where many of his coworkers knew him as "Chris". It was also during this time that he married the love of his life, Fairy Z. Harper, on March 28, 1959, in Lebanon, Virginia. Together they welcomed four children into their home including Stephanie, Deb, Shawn, and Lori, daughter of the heart. With a desire for a different life, Jay left the mountains and moved to Indiana in 1962 when he was 23.

Jay fell in love with the town of Corunna. he started in with the volunteer fire department because of a major fire in English, West Virginia, that wiped out the entire town. After that, when he came to Corunna he dedicated his entire life to serving others and investing in lives. Jay was actively involved in the water and sewage project and built the Corunna fire house after battling the state of Indiana to get it built. When he initially came to the area he worked at the Kendallville Foundry, but in 1968 he went into business for himself. For more than 40 years, Jay owned and operated Jay's Building and Roofing in Corunna, retiring in 2009. He was known as an honest and fair businessman, and he often bartered for payment as well. Jay remained with the fire department for more than 40 years, spending 25 of those years as the fire chief. Jay was a Master Firefighter and recipient of a certificate of achievement from State Senator Robert Meeks. Dedicated to the community of Corunna, he was honored with the Distinguished Hoosier award given to him by then Governor Joseph Kernan in 2004. He was a former Justice of the Peace and town manager of Corunna as well as a board member on the town council currently.

It is hard to determine what was the driving force behind the things that Jay did - his dedication to his community or his unending spirit of generosity. Since relaxing to him meant working and building to make things better, this is what he spent his entire life doing. Jay was self-taught in all his handyman skills, and he was so very smart. He had an inherent gift to create and build things in his mind and then to bring those projects to fruition. In the 1980s Jay dug a well at his parents’ home, and it was truly like magic to see it appear the first time they had running water. In 1988 their house in Corunna burned, but Jay rebuilt it. With a special place in his heart for kids, he was instrumental in improving the old run-down baseball diamond. He loaded up his pickup truck and sodded the first and third base paths. Jay also provided new bases and home plate, gave the dugouts a new coat of paint and new roofs, put in a new backstop, new fence, and new scoreboard as he wanted to make sure that the local kids had a good place to play baseball. Not only did he love kids, but they loved him, too. During the winter months he opened his business building on the corner of Corunna for kids to wait for the bus where it was warm.

Jay almost always had a remodeling project of some kind going on at home including building a craft room for his wife, and he also worked on many homes and businesses in the area. Over the years he touched numerous of lives with his quality workmanship in such a significant way. Jay was over the moon in love with his grandchildren, and of course he made plenty of things for them including papaw's playhouse and indoor swings for winter. He put a pool table in there, and it stayed warm since he also put in a wood burning stove. Jay was always fascinated by technology, and he thought it was so awesome to see things like cell phones and space travel come to be during his lifetime.

Although he could be a bit stubborn and strong-willed at times, Jay Christian was a loving, giving, and spirited man who was always busy. He longed to make a better life for his family and those around him, and his energy was truly inspiring. Deeply loved, Jay will never be forgotten.

J. Chatman "Jay" Christian, of Corunna, passed away on Monday, October 10, 2016, at Dekalb Health in Auburn. Jay’s family includes his daughter, Stephanie (Mike) Mayberry of Corunna; daughter, Deb (Greg) Tipton Elkhart; son, Shawn Christian of Panama City Beach, Florida; daughter of the heart, Lori (Dusty) Bock of Waterloo; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild; three brothers and seven sisters. Jay was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters; one brother; and his wife, Fairy, who preceded him in death on February 14, 2012. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at Hite Funeral Home, 403 South Main Street in Kendallville with Rev. Scott Tilley officiating the funeral service. Burial will take place at the Corunna Cemetery following the service. Visitation with the family is Friday from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Hite Funeral Home. There will be a ceremony honoring Jay’s longtime dedication and volunteer service to the Corunna Fire Department at 7:00 PM conducted by the Indiana Volunteer Fireman’s Association. Memorial donations may be direct to Dekalb Humane Shelter or Corunna Volunteer Fire Department. Send an online condolence to the family at www.hitefuneralhome.com. Arrangements entrusted to Hite Funeral Home of Kendallville.