KINOSHITA, Jerome Michael 'Jerry' Yutaka - (June 26, 1951 – January 29, 2020)
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jerry Kinoshita on January 29, 2020 from a stroke he suffered last October.
He will be lovingly remembered by his wife Janice and daughters Christine and Laura.
Jerry was born in Hamilton, Ontario and grew up in nearby Grimsby with his parents and two older brothers, Alan and Andy. He attended Ryerson University where he studied journalism.
Upon graduation he accepted a job at the Globe and Mail, a place he would call home for the next 42 years. A copy editor known for his remarkable skills and his unwavering commitment to grammar, fact-checking, spelling and punctuation, he was extremely well-regarded by his colleagues until his retirement in November of 2016.
Jerry wasn’t just a sports fan, sports held a much greater meaning in his life. He played many growing up, including basketball and football. It seems he passed these interests on to his daughters, who also played a variety of sports in their early years. This led to countless hours in gymnasiums, rinks and on fields. You would never hear him complain about waking up early on a Saturday if it meant he would get to watch his girls play (as long as he could yell directions from the sidelines). His younger daughter Laura continues that tradition to this day, competing both in Canada and internationally as a member of the Canadian National Ultimate Frisbee Team. Her membership on this team has resulted in some memorable family trips, most notably the three weeks they spent in Italy in 2014. To this day he would still talk about some of the breathtaking meals enjoyed there.
Jerry and his elder daughter Christine had a bond off the field. Together they comprised a die-hard Raptors fan duo. She recounts attending games in the late 90’s and early 2000’s with him and considers them some of her fondest memories. Anytime Raptors news broke it was a race to see who would text the other first and their shared background playing basketball lent to their ability to dissect every play and coaches’ decision. In recent years they very rarely missed watching a game together. She finds great solace and sadness in the fact that the last full season he was able to watch was a championship one.
Jerry was a real foodie, as anyone that knew him can attest to. He was always reading about the best new restaurants and then pretending he wasn’t excited when his daughters made reservations. He was also a fabulous chef, a skill and a passion he has passed on to his daughter Laura. Just last year they attended Toronto Life’s 100 Best Restaurants, a fun and special evening for them both. He loved music, always begrudgingly listening to new artists Christine found and then eventually developing a real love for them.
Jerry discovered his love of golf in the late 90’s and never looked back. Since his retirement, he enjoyed an extended golf season joining his brother Alan’s weekly golf group. Being able to spend more time with his brother on the green was something he truly treasured.
Jerry and Janice were married in May of 1989 after being good friends for many years. In celebration of their 30th wedding anniversary last spring they took a four week trip to Australia and New Zealand. They were two of the few places he had not yet been to and desired to visit. They did the Lord of the Rings tour in New Zealand, spent a few days in the Australian outback where they went to Ayers Rock and they visited a kangaroo sanctuary, among other things. They enjoyed fabulous meals and many wineries and Janice will always look back very fondly on this time spent together.
For family and friends, the Celebration of Life will take place this Sunday, February 2nd at Jerrett Funeral Home, 1141 St. Clair Ave W., Toronto from 1 - 3pm, with tributes beginning at 2pm.
The decision to celebrate him on Super Bowl Sunday was easy. His Colts and Steelers may not be playing but that would not have stopped him from watching the game.
In Jerry's memory, donations may be made to the Toronto Cat Rescue at torontocatrescue.ca.
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