Joseph James (“Jay”) Redmond, Jr. was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in DC’s Maryland suburbs. After his father’s untimely death from cancer when Jay was 11, the family moved to Winter Park, FL, where Jay graduated from Winter Park High School in 1966. (He spent his junior year at Dykes High School in Atlanta while staying with an aunt and uncle.) He worked his way through Georgia State University, earning a B.A. in German in 1970.

Finding office work too confining, after college Jay worked in construction and home renovation in the Atlanta area. He gained his electrician’s license in 1980 and had an electrical contracting business until he retired in 2009. In 1990 he volunteered on a church-funded project in Nicaragua, where he installed the lighting in a school auditorium (and studied Spanish beforehand). He also traveled in Europe, studying the language of each country, staying in hostels, and taking public transportation so as to meet the people.

In 2002 Jay bought a fire-damaged home in Mountain City, redesigned it, and started rebuilding it on weekends. He removed everything but the metal roof and the foundation, propped up the roof on poles, and built a new 2-bedroom, 1 bath house underneath. In 2009 he moved in full-time and continued construction. In addition to the house, he installed a chicken coop and a flourishing vegetable garden and acquired a flock of chickens, all of whom had names and a life estate in his care.

In 2018 Jay joined the Old School Garden in Clayton and tended a vegetable bed there in addition to his garden at home. He electrified the Garden’s greenhouse, installing receptacles, lights, and fans. He also served on the Board of Directors.

Jay loved nature and spent as much time as possible outdoors. He enjoyed biking, kayaking, hunting, and wilderness hiking and camping. He would go into the wild for days with just what he could carry on his back. He never joined a church, but he studied the Bible and Native American beliefs and culture and participated in sweat lodges. Jay was taken from us by cancer on May 16, 2025 and leaves behind his siblings Gaye Mara (Andy), Trish Nowicki (Steve), Kevin Redmond (Lisa), nieces Nora and Erin Mara, Kim Nowicki Kennemore, and Hillary Redmond; nephews Josh Nowicki and Joe Redmond; their families; and many dear friends.

A memorial for friends and family will be celebrated at the Rabun County Library in Clayton 12:00pm-3:00pm on Friday, June 27, 2025. Donations in Jay’s memory may be given to Rabun County Public Library, 73 Jo Dotson Circle, Clayton, GA 30525; Traces of Tiger, 382 Bride Creek Rd, Tiger, GA 30576; or The Old School Garden, 112 Payne Hill Dr, Clayton, GA 30525.

Beck Funeral Home, in Clayton, Georgia, is in charge of the arrangements and is honored to serve the family of Joseph James (“Jay”) Redmond, Jr. If there are any questions, please call 706-782-9599. An online Memorial Register Book is available at www.beckfuneralhome.com.