Sherwin Jay Kayne

Sherwin J. Kayne (Steve), 87, of Candler passed away peacefully on March 14, 2024. He was born on July 22, 1936, in New York and was the son of the late Murray and Zina Kayne. He was preceded in death by his sister, Mara Jerard. Steve started blacksmithing at the age of 8 in his grandfather’s shop in New York. There were 18 men who worked there and nearly none spoke English. They communicated through their hammer, anvil, and forgings. He was the founder of Steve Kayne Custom Hardware (1965), Kayne's Custom Hardware (1983), Kayne & Son Custom Hardware, Inc. (1997), Kayne & Son Tools (1998), Blacksmiths Depot (2012-present). Steve enlisted in the Navy and was trained as an aircraft electrician during the Korean War. After his time in the Navy, he received an associate degree in applied sciences for electrical engineering and was quickly hired by Grumman Aerospace as an electrical instructor. He was involved in the Apollo 13 mission and was heavily involved in the electrical work on the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM). His son, David, was born as Apollo 13 was returning to Earth, having never landed on the moon. He stayed with Grumman until 1983 and was instrumental in the development and the presentations of training courses for flight line electricians and crew chief personnel on several major aircraft of that time. While working at Grumman, Steve opened his first blacksmith shop, in a single-car garage in Smithtown, NY in 1965. In 1983 he retired from Grumman and moved his family to Western North Carolina. The first shop in Candler, NC was a 4-car garage, where he maintained a 6-week backlog of work. His forged work is not only found in the homes of Olivia Newton-John, Fabio, Clint Eastwood, and Jerry Bruckheimer, to name a few, but can also be seen in movies such as Nell, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mr. Destiny, and Last of the Mohicans. In 2000, a new 7000 square foot shop was built, which is where forging continues, and Blacksmiths Depot resides today. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, of nearly 60 years, daughters Roni (Ian), Joy (Scott), and son, David (Cathy), as well as 5 grandchildren - Seth, Jonathan, Lena, Eli, and Landon. Steve’s craftsmanship and honor will live on forever. "The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand." - Vince Lombardi

Tributes

Sherwin Jay Kayne

July 22, 1936 - March 14, 2024