Jon Kay, the founder of Kent’s Torklift Central, died at the age of 76 the night of Feb. 2, while holding the hand of his son, Jack Kay.
Jon Kay, of Kent, founded the family legacy company more than 40 years ago. He told his family shortly before he died that he wanted to die courageously to be an example for his family.
“He was not just a visionary, but a man of great strength and tenacity,” said Jack Kay, Torklift Central president, in a company media release. “When he had his first heart attack at age 46, I remember him getting back on his feet and telling me that he was told he only had 10 years left to live due to his heart condition. He began to work out by walking up the long Smith Street Hill in Kent about 4 miles everyday to and from work. That was 30 years ago and just one of many such examples.”
Relatives of Jon said he led a courageous and inspiring life that filled his family and employees with wonder.
In 1976, Jon founded Torklift Central in downtown Kent. It started as a one-man, one-bay service center where Jon custom fabricated trailer hitches, repaired trailers and became the home of his very first, mass-produced inventions for the RV aftermarket.
He instilled a strong work ethic in his employees. He regularly worked side-by-side with his employees, underneath a truck installing parts and troubleshooting issues. Even in his later years he actively worked at Torklift inventing new products and working on robotic and machinery ideas.
“His work ethic was foundational and built solely upon serving his family, employee and customer’s needs first and foremost from the beginning to the end,” said Joel Crawford, his grandson and Torklift operations manager.
Jon invented the SuperHitch, truck camper tie downs and FastGun turnbuckles among other products. The creation of these products led to the expansion of an additional football field sized facility called Torklift International in Sumner where the products are mass-produced.
“Several years ago, after the FastGun was first created, a woman told my dad that she suffered from crippling arthritis in her hands,” said Jack Kay. “She explained that she was considering no longer truck camping because she was unable to operate the old-fashion manual turnbuckles, until she learned about the FastGun turnbuckle. Because of that product my dad invented, this customer was able to enjoy truck camping for many more years.”
Jon cared for his customers and was quoted several years ago saying, “I always look at things like I’m the customer. That’s my motto. I want to give them a good product at a fair price.”
Jon loved animals, babies, classic cars and built and flew model airplanes. He rode motorcycles into his 70s. He was a fearless inventor, loving husband, father and grandfather, and had a passion for politics and loved to read the Wall Street Journal every morning. He was a pioneer who paved a path showing there is nothing that can’t be done. His relatives said his death is felt throughout the Torklift family that can’t be filled, but rather, can be honored through continued relentless work ethic, invention and a pioneering spirit to go where others have not.
Funeral on Saturday
Jon’s funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, at Fir Lane Memorial Park, 924 E.176th St., in Spanaway. A viewing is scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17.
Donations are encouraged to be sent to Kent Food Bank, 515 W. Harrison Street #107, Kent WA, 98032 care of the Kent Turkey Challenge. The Turkey Challenge is an annual fundraiser Torklift Central runs each year to benefit local families through the Kent Food Bank.
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