WILTON — Lawrence E. Dwight, Jr., 54, fondly known as “J,” passed away unexpectedly Monday, May 14, at his home in Wilton.

J was born December 29, 1957, in Ithaca, N.Y. As a child, J grew up in Longmeadow, Mass., and graduated from Longmeadow High School in 1976.

After graduating from UMass Amherst with a degree in Business Administration in 1981, he began a successful career as a stock-broker. J resided in Kennebunk for many years while working in Portland. Most recently, he was a successful private investment advisor at his own business, Dwight Investment Council in Wilton. He and his wife owned Broadwing Farm in Wilton.

An avid and expert bird watcher, J loved traveling around the state and beyond to see rare and elusive “life birds.” He enjoyed participating in annual bird counts, owl walks at dawn, guiding bird watching trips and the beauty of the hawk migration. Close friends and family fondly called him a bird nerd because of his passionate pursuit of this popular past time, but he was always the first person who was consulted when they came upon a bird no one recognized.

J was also involved in local and state politics. His column “The Populist Economist’’ was published in the Lewiston Sun Journal, and he also wrote for the Maine Wire on economic and political issues. He served on the board of advisers for the Maine Heritage Policy Center and on the Economic Forecasting Committee for the LePage administration.

He is survived by his parents Lawrence E. “Larry” and Rae (Hehl) Dwight of Kennebunk; his wife, Adrienne Neary of Wilton; his children, who were the center of his world and the light of his life, Lance E Dwight III and Avonlea H. Dwight. He is also survived by a brother, Timothy Dwight and his wife, Devorah, of Amesbury, Mass., and their two children; and two sisters, Deb Kelley and her husband, Joe, of Shoreham, Vt., and their two children, and Louise Spang and her husband, Timothy, of Kennebunkport and their two children.

J’s son Lance wanted to share this dear memory.

“My dad had a big heart and many people were in it. He gave a lot of love and asked for little back. He loved nothing more than making me and my sister laugh, and we spent a lot of time at Parsons Beach in Kennebunk. In my fondest memory at the beach, he would wade into the ocean with me on his back to find the right wave to ride in. When the perfect wave came he would yell, ‘Hold your breath’ while I held tight onto his shoulders, and we would dive with the crashing wave and ride her all the way in.”

Tributes and condolences may be shared on his memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com.