John Irving

John was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. His parents were Edward and Ruth Irving. He was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, attended Heidelberg University and graduated from Youngstown State University majoring in psychology/sociology. John was married to Daneen Julio Irving for 43 years until her death in 2013. His remaining relatives include his cousins Elaine Seeley, Craig and Cindy Seeley and Brian and Emily Seeley all of who reside in Canada. John married Glenda Robertson in 2018 and they resided in Atlanta, Georgia. She shared his love for travel and they journeyed extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Upon graduating from Youngstown State University John was the recipient of a Youngstown Community Chest Scholarship. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans and received his Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Hawaii in 1968. After graduation he worked at Woodside Receiving Hospital as a psychiatric social worker. Ultimately, he became the Executive Director of the North Area Mental Health and Retardation Services in Columbus, Ohio and concurrently received a Master’s degree in Public Administration in 1978 from the Ohio State University. He was a speaker at numerous mental health conferences and published a number of mental health related articles in professional journals. He served as a part time instructor on the OSU faculty. His proudest achievement was establishing the long running “Friends Unlimited” program in the Columbus school system. The program trained and provided high school big brothers and sisters for inner city elementary school youngsters experiencing behavioral problems. In 1981 he made a career change and moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work for Nationwide Insurance where he was employed for 23 years as a sales executive and consultant. He earned a CPCU and CLU designations and retired from the company in 2004. Over the years, John had the pleasure of donating three bronze sculptures, depicting children enjoying reading, for the Youngstown State University campus. He also dedicated funds for the establishment of a Pete the Penguin sculpture to be located in the Youngstown State University student union and he bequeathed funding to the university for the establishment of a campus park to be enjoyed by students, faculty and visitors. John was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels for 15 years and did volunteer work for the Roswell, Georgia school system assisting foreign students in learning English. He was also a volunteer for the Marietta Center for Family Services which assisted families in need. He was a longtime supporter of the Crabapple Stray Pet Program in Alpharetta, Georgia and the Salvation Army. His passions included Youngstown State University and Ohio State University football, Atlanta Braves baseball, travel, dancing and music. John’s ashes will be interred in Lake Park Cemetery in Youngstown, Ohio with his wife Daneen and also with his wife Glenda in Marietta, Georgia. There will be no services or funeral visitations. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Crabapple Knoll Stray pet program in Alpharetta, Georgia or the Meals on Wheels Program of Mahoning County, Ohio.

John Irving

April 17, 1943 - June 15, 2025