Robert "Jake" Edmond Kirchner

Jake was a modern-day Renaissance man – a Virginia native and a man of the world.

He was born on June 18, 1951 in Washington, D.C., and spent his childhood in Arlington and McLean, Virginia. He attended St. Anselm’s Abbey School before majoring in English at Duke University and graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in 1973.

Duke University is where he met his wife, Diane Culp Kirchner; this August will mark Jake and Diane’s 50th wedding anniversary. They raised two children, Lauren and Jonathan.

Jake had an illustrious career in journalism, first in Washington, D.C. and then in New York City. He began his career as a correspondent on Capitol Hill in the 1970s, and then quickly rose to occupy the top editor positions at several technology and industry publications throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Government Computer News, Windows Magazine, and PC Magazine.

He was a gifted writer and editor and a superb communicator. Over the course of his career, Jake reported from the Pentagon, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Supreme Court and the White House. He had on-camera appearances on CBS, CNBC, CNN, NBC and BBC, among others. He had in-the-field journalism experience in Rome, Paris, Beijing, Havana, Hong Kong and Johannesburg. During the five years he was Editor-in-Chief of PC Magazine, it was the number one technology publication in the world and the most successful business publication in the U.S.

He and Diane moved to Williamsburg in 2002. When Jake retired, he discovered a new passion for sailing and the camaraderie of a crew when he began volunteering on the 17th-century replica ships at Jamestown. He was also active in the leadership of Two Rivers Country Club and was a member of the men’s golf association and the wine society there.

Jake was a talented guitarist, golfer, gardener and cook. He and Diane loved to travel – some of their favorite trips were to Paris, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Northern California and an epic cross-country road trip to the western states and Canada. He relished nautical adventure novels and loved cool cars. He enjoyed wordplay, knew every word that exists, and could finish the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle in an hour. He was a thoughtful friend and a present and engaging conversationalist. Jake was a sweet and funny granddad to his three grandsons.

His family will remember him for many things, but above all they will remember his kindness, his intelligence and his wit.

Jake was predeceased by his parents, Ted and Mary Joan Kirchner, most recently of Ford’s Colony in Williamsburg, and by his brother Ted and Ted’s wife Lydia. He is survived by his wife, Diane, daughter Lauren (Evan), son Jonathan (Emma), and three grandsons Emmett, Miles and Nolan. He is also survived by brothers John (Cindy), Paul (Joan), Bruce (Allison), Timothy and sister Joan, as well as many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

A memorial service will be held at Nelsen Funeral Home in Williamsburg on Saturday, June 15, from 1:00-3:00 p.m., with remarks from the family at 2:00 p.m. Donations in his name may be made to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (www.jyfmuseums.org) or to the charitable organization of your choice.