Robert K. Irving, co-CEO of J.D. Irving Ltd. and president of Cavendish Farms, has died at 71, his family announced Tuesday.
Robert K. Irving, a prominent New Brunswick businessman who helped lead J.D. Irving Ltd. and served as president of Cavendish Farms, has died at 71.
Irving, of Moncton, died Tuesday in Moncton after cancer, his family said in a news release. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
The death marks the loss of a major figure in one of Atlantic Canada’s best-known business families. Irving was co-CEO of J.D. Irving Ltd. alongside his brother, Jim Irving. The company is a major New Brunswick employer, with operations spanning forestry, retail, transportation and consumer products.
Irving also led Cavendish Farms, headquartered in Dieppe. The company operates plants in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Alberta and North Dakota, and describes itself as North America’s fourth-largest producer of frozen potato products. It is also P.E.I.’s largest private-sector employer and one of the island’s largest landowners.
The family statement said Irving was “proud to represent the fifth generation in the family business” and considered it a privilege to work with his brother on both daily operations and the long-term direction of the business.
Born Dec. 3, 1954, in Saint John, Irving was the son of James Kenneth Irving and Jean Elizabeth Saunders Irving and the grandson of K.C. Irving. He graduated from Acadia University in Nova Scotia with a business degree and established J.D. Irving’s Moncton operations in 1977, according to the family statement.
Beyond his corporate roles, Irving owned the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He was also recognized in several business and public service circles, including the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame, the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame and the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame. He received the Order of Moncton in 2020 and the Order of New Brunswick in 2024.
The City of Moncton said businesses he led employed more than 2,000 people in the Greater Moncton area. The Order of New Brunswick description also credited him with leading fundraising efforts, including capital campaigns for the Friends of the Moncton Hospital Foundation that helped raise more than $20 million.
Irving was married to Jill Irving for nearly 40 years. He had four children and four grandchildren.
Canadian Press reported in September 2025 that Irving had undergone cancer surgery that July and was receiving treatment. The type of cancer was not disclosed.
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