Jay Edgar Kinney

Jay Edgar Kinney, 57, of Flat Rock, IL, passed away on November 29, 2025, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, IN. He was born on November 15, 1968, in Robinson, IL, and from early on, it was clear that sports were not just something he played; they were part of who he was. Countless games of whiffle ball filled the yard, arguments settled with a bat and a ball, scraped knees ignored because there was always time for one more inning.

After graduating from Robinson High School in 1986, Jay stepped into a bigger world. He joined the United States Navy and served four years aboard the USS New Jersey as a machinist mate. Life on the ship demanded toughness, quick thinking, and the ability to hold your ground, and Jay rose to each challenge with the determination that had been growing in him since boyhood. When his service ended, he carried that same steady confidence home. Jay worked at TRW in Marshall before joining Laborers Union #1197, a place that became a long chapter of his life. Much of that work found him at Marathon, and he spent countless hours at the refinery. Just like his brother, Ted, Jay built scaffolding, though the refinery never let them work on the same job.

While he was a great laborer, the truth is that Jay's real work was people. He was the friend you could call at any hour. If you needed him, he would ask, "Do you want to talk about it, or come over and talk about it?" And people came. They trusted him. He listened. He told the truth plainly. And he made the kind of space where someone could breathe easier just by being there. Jay never pretended to be anything other than himself. He liked people. He liked conversations. And he liked talking sports more than just about anything else. If the St. Louis Cardinals or Indianapolis Colts were playing, he was all in. If he was watching a game on TV, you knew better than to interrupt. His attention never wandered. He was fully present, fully invested, the same way he had been when he played baseball as a catcher and softball at third base. Competition lit him up. Stubbornness pushed him forward. And he loved every minute of it.

Jay filled his life with other simple joys. Four-wheeler rides. Trips to the casino in Terre Haute or Evansville. Cruises through the Caribbean with his "woman", Tracey. A cheeseburger, nothing fancy, was enough to make a good day complete. He was a man who knew what he liked and saw no need to complicate it. Those little pleasures shaped him, and so did the community around him. That was part of why the Flat Rock Legion meant so much to him. Jay invested years there, serving as Commander and Senior Vice, and helping build the new Legion building, which will stand as part of his legacy.

Jay lived fully and fought fully. He fought for his friends. He fought for his family. And at the end, he fought with every ounce of strength he had. He gave what he had to give. And for the people who loved him, that will always be enough.

He is survived by his brother & sister-in-law, Ted & Brittany Kinney of Flat Rock, IL; by his significant other, Tracey Ferguson; as well as several nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Kinney and Sandra "Sandy" (Vaughn) Keller; his brothers, Charles Richard "Rich" Kinney II and Bradley Lyman "Mouse" Kinney; and by his grandparents, Lyman & Essie Kinney.

Jay is to be cremated without a public service. The Goodwine Funeral Home in Flat Rock is assisting the family at this time.