James Bryson Walsh, known to all as “Jay B.,” is being remembered as a Lewes legend who was a kind man, a fair landlord and even a great pilot.

Walsh, 82, died Jan. 10. He was the owner of Angler’s Marina, and the boatyard and restaurant along the east side of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.

“He was larger than life. He always had a joke and a great story. The room always gravitated to him,” said Hunter Walsh, one of Jay B.’s four grandsons. “He leaves a huge void in the town and across the state.”

“He was always there for us for everything, and for anyone who needed a helping hand, he was there,” said Bryson Walsh, another of Jay B.’s grandsons.

Jay B. Walsh bought the original Anglers Restaurant in Lewes in 1963. Walsh lost interest in the restaurant business and rented the space around 1990, according to his family.

Del Walsh, Jay B.’s son, said he then focused on building up the boatyard to what it is today.

“We started building the boatyard about 1993. We would clear out chunks of land every day. It quadrupled in size in a couple of years,” Del said. “We would stage every boat on the canal from the yacht club on down. We hired a crane to pull them up and we would put them all back in one day.”

“He was a one-man show,” said Paco Walsh, Jay B.’s other son. “He was always working. He would close up the restaurant at night. We would be getting ready for school and he would be going into work.”

Jane Thompson, Jay B’s companion of 45 years, said she also remembers him working hard at a young age.

“We met when we were 6. My parents always went to Angler’s for lunch,” Thompson said. “He had a boat and he would come by and we would go water skiing. But he worked at Angler’s either pumping gas or getting ice or bait.”

Walsh’s family said one of the things they will never forget about Jay B. is his love for Lewes.

“We’ll miss the Christmas Eve parties and the Doo-Dah Parade,” Hunter said. “Our house was not just the family’s gathering place; it was the town’s gathering place. A stranger never came through the door.”

The owners of Irish Eyes are part of Walsh’s extended family.

Maryellen Kiernan, who is the marketing and public relations representative for Irish Eyes, said Walsh was always a kind man.

“People thought he was tough and an old grumpy man, but we saw a softer side. He was always concerned about everybody,” she said.

Kathy Newcomb, Kiernan’s sister, said they had a father-daughter relationship with Walsh.

She said he was a great landlord who was always looking out for their business.

“After the first fire [in 2007], he could have said he was going to build townhouses, but he came by and said, ‘Darlin’, you should add a second floor.’ It was the same after the 2008 fire. It was a total loss. He could have said, ‘We’re not doing that again,’ but he was there to rebuild again,” Newcomb said. “He reached out during COVID and asked if we needed to abate our rent. I said we were doing OK. But, that’s just the kind of guy he was.”

Walsh completed a project last spring to upgrade the dock near Irish Eyes. It has 20 boat slips, a floating dock and a new concrete path along the edge.

Irish Eyes was closed Jan. 21, the day of Walsh’s funeral. A Lewes fire truck was parked at Angler’s Marina and flew a large American flag in his honor.

The Walsh family said Jay B. was also proud of being a freemason and a 55-year member of the Jefferson Lodge in Lewes, where he served as past master in 1988.

But that was just one of the accomplishments he was proud of, according to his family.

Walsh was the 1992 Punkin’ Chunkin’ champion with his De-Terminator launcher.

He was a private pilot who flew from Eagle Crest Aerodrome. His family members say he was proud of his Cessna 337 Skymaster and the other planes he owned over the years.

Walsh was also an honorary lifetime member of the Lewes Fire Department, which he received, in part, for his help during both Irish Eyes fires.

Kiernan and Walsh’s family said no changes are planned for Angler’s Marina. But, they agree that the docks will never be the same.