Former Falls Church City Councilman Ira Kaylin passed away on Monday, March 12. Kaylin served one term on the Council from 2010 to 2013. He was commended by the current Council for his service to the City last June.
Kaylin is survived by his wife of 47 years, Patricia Murphy Kaylin, and two sons, Robert Kaylin of Ashburn, Virginia and James Kaylin living in Sydney, Australia.
He was born in New York City, grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey and lived in the Washington area since 1964. He graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Oregon.
His work experience included 10 years at the U.S. Treasury Department and 24 years at the Inter-American Development Bank where he served in a number of capacities including Chief Financial Risk Manager, Chief of Financial Policy and Planning, and Internal Auditor.
A statement from his family, provided to the News-Press by his former Council ally Johannah Barry, declared that “Ira lived by Pericles’ observation that what one leaves behind is not what is engraved in stone…but what is woven into the lives of others. Ira, for those who knew him, valued his friendships and company. He was a man of a principle with a broad and nurtured intellect that he shared generously to advance and defend timeless values.
“He was a man of integrity and responsibility — traits he had in abundance with courage to advance them within his community. Ira was also possessed of a dry and penetrating wit which he deployed with deft precision. His observations and insights were characterized by a blunt, but wholly honest perspective.
“As a member of the Falls Church City Council, he forcefully and articulately advocated for policies which reflected his strong belief that decisions had both societal and moral implications and often, an intergenerational responsibility. He continued to advocate for the most vulnerable of Falls Church citizens, its children, through his vigorous and penetrating observations on the City’s budget preparations, financial strategies, spending policies and the financial accounting guidelines issued by the Government Accounting Standards Board.
“Ira has left behind both a challenge and an example – be fearless in the pursuit of truth and parity and be unflinchingly honest in the face of dissembling. Being with Ira was at once comfortable, relaxing, and great fun — all the while invigorating.
“Ira was well travelled and highly versed in many areas. He was as conversant with the intricacies of the internal combustion engine and woodworking as he was with the financial accounting guidelines issued by the Government Accounting Standards Board.
“Ira left behind both a challenge and an example – be fearless in pursuit of truth and parity and be unflinchingly honest in the face of dissembling.”
A service will be held at the Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 W. Broad St., Falls Church, on Wednesday, March 21, with a visitation from 4 to 6 p.m. and a celebration of life at 6 p.m.
