Gary Kirk obituary: Gary Kirk's Obituary, Dove Topeka
In Memory Of
Gary R. Kirk
1942 - 2023
In Memory Of
Gary R. Kirk
1942 - 2023
Gary Richard Kirk, 81, took his leave Monday, December 18, after finally having his fill of life hampered by Parkinson’s Disease.
Gary was born April 16, 1942 in Ames, Iowa, the son of Stanley and Dorothy (Posegate) Kirk. He married an Ames girl, Sandra Gowan, on May 30, 1965. They co-created two daughters, Donna (Steve Swaffar) currently of Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Kimberly (Aaron Polson) of Lawrence, Kansas.
He graduated from Ames High School in 1960, where he excelled as a pitcher on the baseball team. He twice earned first team all-conference honors and was elected to the Little Cyclone Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Industrial Administration the same year he wed Sandy (we will save you the math–that was 58 years of marriage). He was affiliated with the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
After graduation, he accepted a position in the life underwriting department at then Bankers Life Insurance Company in Des Moines. In 1970 he and the family moved to Topeka, continuing his underwriting career with Security Benefit Life. While there, he earned the professional designations of Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and became the first in the nation to qualify as Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU). In 1983 he joined New American Life of Columbia, Missouri, before returning to Topeka in 1997 as Vice President–Underwriting with American Home Life. He retired in 2000.
Gary was a consummate family provider as well as the teacher of all things sports to his girls. They enjoyed many hours together on the tennis courts, learning how to fend off his wicked English drop shots. He coached both of them on the softball diamonds at Ken Berry and led countless practices on the bumpy playground fields at McClure Elementary. He was always up for a catch or pitching practice on the sidewalk in front of their house on 25th Street, or shooting baskets well beyond dark in the driveway. He was a sometimes runner when his knees decided to cooperate.
If you lived in Gary’s neighborhood, you probably remember him mowing an always-lush front yard or hand-washing the cars of everyone in the house. He was also the house-painter, checker of oil levels before a daughter went back to college, and, for a time, expert pool boy.
In retirement, he renewed his athletic interests, including golf, volleyball, bowling and senior men’s softball. He enjoyed the title of “Papa” from his five original grandchildren, who were later joined by three bonus grandsons. He always felt fortunate that his grandkids and their parents lived close enough to visit regularly while the grandkids were growing up.
Gary first picked up a guitar in college, the beginning of a lifelong habit that fed his love of music. While his children and grandchildren remember his playing and singing fondly, he also never minded when his audience was limited to one of his tolerant canine companions, most recently golden retrievers Gracie and Jessie.
He is survived by Sandy, daughters Donna and Kimberly, his sister Carol Crandall of Des Moines; grandchildren Tyler and Nathan Swaffar; Elizabeth, Bretton and Caroline Scarbrough; bonus grandsons Owen, Max and Elliot Polson; and nieces and nephews Tiana and Joshua Crandall and Aaron and Alison Watkins and their families.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley and Dorothy, and by brother-in-law Robert Crandall.
Memorials may be directed to Helping Hands Humane Society (5720 SW 21st St, Topeka, KS 66604) or to the Street Dog Coalition in Topeka, a cause near and dear to granddaughter Elizabeth’s veterinary heart (https://www.thestreetdogcoalition.org/topeka-ks, or 305 W. Magnolia Street #277, Fort Collins, CO 80521 with "For Topeka, KS team in memory of Gary Kirk " in the memo line).
Dove Cremations & Funerals, Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.
To share a memory of Gary or leave a special message for his family, please click the Share Memories button above.
Gary was born April 16, 1942 in Ames, Iowa, the son of Stanley and Dorothy (Posegate) Kirk. He married an Ames girl, Sandra Gowan, on May 30, 1965. They co-created two daughters, Donna (Steve Swaffar) currently of Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Kimberly (Aaron Polson) of Lawrence, Kansas.
He graduated from Ames High School in 1960, where he excelled as a pitcher on the baseball team. He twice earned first team all-conference honors and was elected to the Little Cyclone Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Industrial Administration the same year he wed Sandy (we will save you the math–that was 58 years of marriage). He was affiliated with the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
After graduation, he accepted a position in the life underwriting department at then Bankers Life Insurance Company in Des Moines. In 1970 he and the family moved to Topeka, continuing his underwriting career with Security Benefit Life. While there, he earned the professional designations of Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and became the first in the nation to qualify as Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU). In 1983 he joined New American Life of Columbia, Missouri, before returning to Topeka in 1997 as Vice President–Underwriting with American Home Life. He retired in 2000.
Gary was a consummate family provider as well as the teacher of all things sports to his girls. They enjoyed many hours together on the tennis courts, learning how to fend off his wicked English drop shots. He coached both of them on the softball diamonds at Ken Berry and led countless practices on the bumpy playground fields at McClure Elementary. He was always up for a catch or pitching practice on the sidewalk in front of their house on 25th Street, or shooting baskets well beyond dark in the driveway. He was a sometimes runner when his knees decided to cooperate.
If you lived in Gary’s neighborhood, you probably remember him mowing an always-lush front yard or hand-washing the cars of everyone in the house. He was also the house-painter, checker of oil levels before a daughter went back to college, and, for a time, expert pool boy.
In retirement, he renewed his athletic interests, including golf, volleyball, bowling and senior men’s softball. He enjoyed the title of “Papa” from his five original grandchildren, who were later joined by three bonus grandsons. He always felt fortunate that his grandkids and their parents lived close enough to visit regularly while the grandkids were growing up.
Gary first picked up a guitar in college, the beginning of a lifelong habit that fed his love of music. While his children and grandchildren remember his playing and singing fondly, he also never minded when his audience was limited to one of his tolerant canine companions, most recently golden retrievers Gracie and Jessie.
He is survived by Sandy, daughters Donna and Kimberly, his sister Carol Crandall of Des Moines; grandchildren Tyler and Nathan Swaffar; Elizabeth, Bretton and Caroline Scarbrough; bonus grandsons Owen, Max and Elliot Polson; and nieces and nephews Tiana and Joshua Crandall and Aaron and Alison Watkins and their families.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley and Dorothy, and by brother-in-law Robert Crandall.
Memorials may be directed to Helping Hands Humane Society (5720 SW 21st St, Topeka, KS 66604) or to the Street Dog Coalition in Topeka, a cause near and dear to granddaughter Elizabeth’s veterinary heart (https://www.thestreetdogcoalition.org/topeka-ks, or 305 W. Magnolia Street #277, Fort Collins, CO 80521 with "For Topeka, KS team in memory of Gary Kirk " in the memo line).
Dove Cremations & Funerals, Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.
To share a memory of Gary or leave a special message for his family, please click the Share Memories button above.
Gary Richard Kirk, 81, took his leave Monday, December 18, after finally having his fill of life hampered by Parkinson’s Disease.
Gary was born April 16, 1942 in Ames, Iowa, the son of Stanley and Dorothy (Posegate) Kirk. He married an Ames girl, Sandra Gowan, on May 30, 1965. They co-created two daughters, Donna (Steve Swaffar) currently of Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Kimberly (Aaron Polson) of Lawrence, Kansas.
He graduated from Ames High School in 1960, where he excelled as a pitcher on the baseball team. He twice earned first team all-conference honors and was elected to the Little Cyclone Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Industrial Administration the same year he wed Sandy (we will save you the math–that was 58 years of marriage). He was affiliated with the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
After graduation, he accepted a position in the life underwriting department at then Bankers Life Insurance Company in Des Moines. In 1970 he and the family moved to Topeka, continuing his underwriting career with Security Benefit Life. While there, he earned the professional designations of Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and became the first in the nation to qualify as Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU). In 1983 he joined New American Life of Columbia, Missouri, before returning to Topeka in 1997 as Vice President–Underwriting with American Home Life. He retired in 2000.
Gary was a consummate family provider as well as the teacher of all things sports to his girls. They enjoyed many hours together on the tennis courts, learning how to fend off his wicked English drop shots. He coached both of them on the softball diamonds at Ken Berry and led countless practices on the bumpy playground fields at McClure Elementary. He was always up for a catch or pitching practice on the sidewalk in front of their house on 25th Street, or shooting baskets well beyond dark in the driveway. He was a sometimes runner when his knees decided to cooperate.
If you lived in Gary’s neighborhood, you probably remember him mowing an always-lush front yard or hand-washing the cars of everyone in the house. He was also the house-painter, checker of oil levels before a daughter went back to college, and, for a time, expert pool boy.
In retirement, he renewed his athletic interests, including golf, volleyball, bowling and senior men’s softball. He enjoyed the title of “Papa” from his five original grandchildren, who were later joined by three bonus grandsons. He always felt fortunate that his grandkids and their parents lived close enough to visit regularly while the grandkids were growing up.
Gary first picked up a guitar in college, the beginning of a lifelong habit that fed his love of music. While his children and grandchildren remember his playing and singing fondly, he also never minded when his audience was limited to one of his tolerant canine companions, most recently golden retrievers Gracie and Jessie.
He is survived by Sandy, daughters Donna and Kimberly, his sister Carol Crandall of Des Moines; grandchildren Tyler and Nathan Swaffar; Elizabeth, Bretton and Caroline Scarbrough; bonus grandsons Owen, Max and Elliot Polson; and nieces and nephews Tiana and Joshua Crandall and Aaron and Alison Watkins and their families.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley and Dorothy, and by brother-in-law Robert Crandall.
Memorials may be directed to Helping Hands Humane Society (5720 SW 21st St, Topeka, KS 66604) or to the Street Dog Coalition in Topeka, a cause near and dear to granddaughter Elizabeth’s veterinary heart (https://www.thestreetdogcoalition.org/topeka-ks, or 305 W. Magnolia Street #277, Fort Collins, CO 80521 with "For Topeka, KS team in memory of Gary Kirk " in the memo line).
Dove Cremations & Funerals, Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.
To share a memory of Gary or leave a special message for his family, please click the Share Memories button above.
Gary was born April 16, 1942 in Ames, Iowa, the son of Stanley and Dorothy (Posegate) Kirk. He married an Ames girl, Sandra Gowan, on May 30, 1965. They co-created two daughters, Donna (Steve Swaffar) currently of Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Kimberly (Aaron Polson) of Lawrence, Kansas.
He graduated from Ames High School in 1960, where he excelled as a pitcher on the baseball team. He twice earned first team all-conference honors and was elected to the Little Cyclone Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Industrial Administration the same year he wed Sandy (we will save you the math–that was 58 years of marriage). He was affiliated with the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
After graduation, he accepted a position in the life underwriting department at then Bankers Life Insurance Company in Des Moines. In 1970 he and the family moved to Topeka, continuing his underwriting career with Security Benefit Life. While there, he earned the professional designations of Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and became the first in the nation to qualify as Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU). In 1983 he joined New American Life of Columbia, Missouri, before returning to Topeka in 1997 as Vice President–Underwriting with American Home Life. He retired in 2000.
Gary was a consummate family provider as well as the teacher of all things sports to his girls. They enjoyed many hours together on the tennis courts, learning how to fend off his wicked English drop shots. He coached both of them on the softball diamonds at Ken Berry and led countless practices on the bumpy playground fields at McClure Elementary. He was always up for a catch or pitching practice on the sidewalk in front of their house on 25th Street, or shooting baskets well beyond dark in the driveway. He was a sometimes runner when his knees decided to cooperate.
If you lived in Gary’s neighborhood, you probably remember him mowing an always-lush front yard or hand-washing the cars of everyone in the house. He was also the house-painter, checker of oil levels before a daughter went back to college, and, for a time, expert pool boy.
In retirement, he renewed his athletic interests, including golf, volleyball, bowling and senior men’s softball. He enjoyed the title of “Papa” from his five original grandchildren, who were later joined by three bonus grandsons. He always felt fortunate that his grandkids and their parents lived close enough to visit regularly while the grandkids were growing up.
Gary first picked up a guitar in college, the beginning of a lifelong habit that fed his love of music. While his children and grandchildren remember his playing and singing fondly, he also never minded when his audience was limited to one of his tolerant canine companions, most recently golden retrievers Gracie and Jessie.
He is survived by Sandy, daughters Donna and Kimberly, his sister Carol Crandall of Des Moines; grandchildren Tyler and Nathan Swaffar; Elizabeth, Bretton and Caroline Scarbrough; bonus grandsons Owen, Max and Elliot Polson; and nieces and nephews Tiana and Joshua Crandall and Aaron and Alison Watkins and their families.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley and Dorothy, and by brother-in-law Robert Crandall.
Memorials may be directed to Helping Hands Humane Society (5720 SW 21st St, Topeka, KS 66604) or to the Street Dog Coalition in Topeka, a cause near and dear to granddaughter Elizabeth’s veterinary heart (https://www.thestreetdogcoalition.org/topeka-ks, or 305 W. Magnolia Street #277, Fort Collins, CO 80521 with "For Topeka, KS team in memory of Gary Kirk " in the memo line).
Dove Cremations & Funerals, Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.
To share a memory of Gary or leave a special message for his family, please click the Share Memories button above.