George Michael Kirk
|
| May 3, 1947 ~ August 3,
2011 |
|
August 6, 2011 |
 George
Michael Kirk passed away on August 3, 2011, as a
result of a motorcycle accident near Naples.
Idaho. A celebration of his life was held
Sunday, August 7, at Twin Rivers Resort near
Moyie Springs.
“I was born when I was very young, in an
apartment in Detroit, Michigan.”
This is how one of Mike’s numerous journals
began. Actually,
Mike was born at 10:39 p.m. May 3, 1947, at St.
Josephs Mercy Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.
Mike grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan,
where he spent his childhood pretending to be a
cowboy, shooting his BB gun, and terrorizing his
neighbors with his wild and crazy antics.
Mike married Janice Oeschger June 7, 1967.
Together they brought into this world three
amazing sons, Sean Michael, Scott Patrick, and
Jason Kenyon. Mike loved Jan and kept a special
place in his heart for her. They remained good
friends to the end.
Mike met Julie in 1979. This would have been
their 33rd Christmas together. Mike was high
maintenance, Julie always made sure that he got
his way. The couple had two wonderful children,
Maeve Elizabeth and Ian Thomas.
He began his career building foundations and
applied these principals very effectively when
raising his children, who have and will continue
to benefit immensely from his high moral
standards. Mike had an obsession with
prospecting for gold, but pointed out to his son
Scott four days before his passing that he had
realized that he struck gold in the form of his
wife and children.
An extraordinary and innovative builder, Mike
would have built the pyramids if it hadn’t been
done already.
Preferring to cover new ground, he enjoyed
doffing big holes and building beautiful boxes
to put inside them. He was employed in the
family business for about 12 years as a laborer,
carpenter, operating engineer, and finally moved
to a management position. He was a carpenter and
builder without equal. He traveled across the
country practicing his craft.
He finally relocated to Bonners Ferry and went
into business with his outstandingly handsome,
intelligent, worldly, and quietly humble
brother, Billy “The Kid” Kirk.
Mike had a lot of hobbies and passions. He loved
to be outdoors; he spent a lot of time hiking in
the mountain wilderness, riding his motorcycle
across forgotten dirt roads, and paddling his
kayak down the Kootenai. He was always looking
for his next adventure.
He also loved to watch movies. Westerns were the
movies that he loved the most; he spent his
whole life wanting to be a cowboy and he enjoyed
living vicariously through John Wayne. He also
never passed up an opportunity to watch the
Mummy movies, he was Angelina Jolie’s biggest
fan, and he was an avid viewer of the Lifetime
and Hallmark channels, much the chagrin of his
family. Steve McQueen was his all time favorite
actor.
On many occasions, Mike was accused of being a
man of many words. He loved to talk and he never
missed out on the chance to tell his life story
to anyone who would stand still long enough to
listen.
One of Mike’s greatest talents was bringing
laughter into peoples’ lives, even his own. He
always said he would love to write his own
obituary, but he was never able to write his
ideas down because most of the time he was
laughing so hard he couldn’t hold a pen. He
loved to laugh, and we know he is somewhere up
there reading this and chuckling with family
members.
Mike was a man who never wasted a second of
life, and always made it a point to others to do
the same. The world may continue to spin, but
without Mike in it, there are considerably fewer
complaints about motion sickness.
Mike always lived life his way. He had two ways
that he wanted to leave this world, and he got
his wish on Wednesday, August 3, 2011.
Mike was preceded in death by his father, Harl G
Kirk, and his mother, Margaret Liggett. He is
survived by his loving family: wife, Julie
Holland Kirk; four sons: Sean Michael, Scott
Patrick, Jason Kenyon (Kelly, and Ian Thomas;
daughter Maeve Elizabeth; brother William
(Patricia); and sister Geraldine. We love you
Mike. AFL-14. We’ll see you at 4:00.
Family and friends are invited to sign Mike’s
book at
www.bonnersferryfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements are entrusted to the care of
Bonners Ferry Funeral Home.
|
|
|
