Jay Jason Robinson

Jay Jason Robinson of Gloucester passed away peacefully on January 20th 2023 after battling several health complications.  He is survived by his brothers Ross C. Robinson of Cape Breton Nova Scotia, and Blair A. Robinson of Gloucester MA, Sister in law Chassea Robinson, his nieces Blakeley and Elibet Robinson, and his beloved family dogs Bemo and Kayla.

Jay was born with Down Syndrome, and grew up in Gloucester, MA.  He was a graduate of the STEP program at Fuller School and lifelong member of Trinity Congregational Church in Gloucester.  He was actively engaged in programs run by the Northeast ARC throughout his lifetime.  Jay lived independently and worked at a wide variety of jobs for over a decade in Gloucester and Danvers. He later moved to assisted living managed by Seven Hills where he developed many close bonds with his fellow residents and staff.

Jay was a Special Olympics athlete in Track and Field, Swimming, and most notably the International Winter Games in 1989 for Downhill Skiing in Lake Tahoe, CA.  He was an avid bowler and participated in many leagues. Jay had a passion for New England sports teams, including the Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, Red Sox, and his beloved Boston University Ice Hockey, where he had season tickets for many years.  For decades, he read the sports page daily and was fond of quoting statistics (and embellishing them) for his favorite teams.

Jay inherited and embraced his family's passion for travel and exploration from his earliest years.  These many adventures included cross country train and road trips in the US and Canada, Caribbean cruises, trips to Texas, Kentucky, Las Vegas, California, New York, Chicago, Nebraska, Baja Mexico, and Nova Scotia.  His favorite trip in recent memory was to Iceland with his entire family.  

Jay will be remembered as a bright light in a crowded room. A well spoken and entertaining personality ensured that he made a lasting impression on all those who knew him.  His love of music, Star Wars, and chocolate ice cream were legendary.  

Jay’s family would like to recognize all of the many caregivers and educators who fought and advocated for Jay and made it possible for him to lead such a wonderfully rich life. This list begins with his mother, the late Leanne C. Robinson, Susan Berry, Sue Xavier, the late Stan Parsons, Jonathan Sherman, Patty Sao, Brittany Wallace, Francis Okhuozagbon, Cheryl Green, Jean McElearney, Nora Messier, Jillian Crawley, Kevin Kakooza, Agostino Lada, Florence Kobuyangi, Jared Mwai, Milton Bellamour, Erick Mbriga, Samson Birungi, Mary, and so many others!

A celebration of Jay's life will be held at Trinity Congregational Church on Middle Street in Gloucester on Friday March 31st @ 2pm.

In lieu of flowers Donations in Jay's memory can be made to the non-profits listed on his memorial page or to the Massachusetts Special Olympics.