David A. Kirk, Major, USAF, retired, died February 14, 2020. Born in Huntington, West Virginia on June 11, 1936, he had been resident of Clearwater, Florida for 19 years. He was married to Mary Ann Thompson of Charleston, WV and had two children, Robert Lee Kirk of Clearwater and Lisa Kirk Goldstrom (Chuck) of Ridgeley, WV and one grandson, Zackary Kirk of Clearwater who survive. He is also survived by his sister, Sally Kirk Adkins (Fred) of Mingo Flats, WV., nieces Allison Camara of Maplewood, NJ, Ann Enthoven of Mountain View, CA and nephew Kirk Adkins of Missoula, MT., and his uncle, Rev. William Hamilton of Chandler, AZ. Also surviving are in-laws Robert Thompson, Tom Thompson (Kay), Margie Anderson (Steve), Sharon Long (Dale) and twelve nieces and nephews.
David graduated from Marshall University, Huntington, WV in 1958 where he was on the Mid-American Championship basketball team and president of the Student Body. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Duke University in 1961 and his Doctorate of Ministry from Vanderbilt University. He served United Methodist churches in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. He was founder of The House of the Carpenter in Wheeling, WV, a community service agency of the United Methodist Church. He became Chaplain in the United States Air Force in 1969 and was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis, New Mexico, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL, and Lakenheath, England. David received the Chief of Chaplains Terence P. Finnegan award for his work with single airmen. During the Viet Nam war years, he served the airmen at Ubon, Thailand where he received the Bronze Star for meritorious service.
After leaving the Air Force, David became CEO of ChildServ, a United Methodist Family Service Organization in Chicago, Illinois. In 2000 He retired as President/CEO of Children’s Home and Aid Society of Illinois in Chicago and moved to Clearwater where he served as CEO of Family Service Center and most recently as Chaplain at Suncoast Hospice.
David will be memorialized on April 16, 2020 at Skycrest United Methodist Church, Clearwater and military graveside service at Bay Pines National Cemetery, St. Petersburg, FL.
Lisa, So sorry of the loss of you Dad. You and your family is all in my thoughts and prayers. Losing a parent is so hard but God will give you strength to help you through this very hard time. ((HUGS))
Lisa you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers! Much love and healing for everyone.
Mandi,Chris, Dalton and Lance
Lisa and Family, Our Deepest Sympathy to you all. Please know how many Love you and are praying for all of you. Sincerely, Kathy & Cliff Biser
Lisa so sorry for your loss you and family are in my prayers
Lisa, I am so very sorry for your loss. You father had a wonderful daughter in you and he knew he was loved. Who could ask for more? You are very blessed, as was he.❤️
Lisa,
We are thinking of you and praying for you. This is such a sad loss, to hear about your dad. His accomplishments were so amazing and for him to keep fighting, even in pain. A true hero. I am so thankful we got to meet him. What a wonderful man. Love you so much.
Lisa I know words are only words. Just know how deeply sorry I am. You were so blessed to have him as your Father.
Dear Lisa, Keeping you in my thoughts & prayers. You were a wonderful daughter & I’m sure your dad knew how blessed he was to have you. I’m sure you were blessed as well having him in life. You have so many wonderful memories. God Bless you & your mom duringvtjis difficult time. Love & hugs & prayers, 💕🙏💕🙏💕
We are so very sorry for your loss. We are keeping you and all your family in our prayers, during this time and later. My sister lost her husband two years ago and still feels his loss. Just remember, God has this. 🙏🏻
I served at Maxwell AFB with David from 1972-1976 and it is partly because of him that i am now a Pastor in the UMC. David was a great man and a brother in Christ. I have often thought of him and praise The Lord that he was part of my formative years. May The Lord bless his family. He is at rest. God Bless
My heart is heavy to learn of Dave’s death, but I know he has been greeted “Well done, good and faithful servant”. He is solely responsible for my 45 years in United Methodist ministry because he asked me to see him in the church office one day after school and asked “Have you ever considered full time ministry?” His words remain on my heart to this day. He was major and primary influence in my life as our pastor and I was there when he started his mission dream for The House of The Carpenter. My joy now is that some day I will meet him again after these many years. Thank God for Dave and his ministry to all he touched. God’s peace to his family members.
Lisa, David and I were both members of the West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 1964, I followed him to Duke Divinity School. David was a pioneer in Chaplaincy in the WV Annual Conference and to me, he was rather like a hero, as chaplains were regarded as something less than than a “real” minister at that time. David was someone I always looked up to as a model. How profoundly I regret not being in touch with him throughout the years. David represented everything good about chaplaincy, always serving with excellence and at the highest level of competence. David is the last of a generation of chaplains who pioneered the way for chaplains such as myself, and I hold him dear to my heart in the company of colleagues who left a rich and lasting legacy. May you be keenly aware of God’s presence with you and your family and may the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit be with you and keep you. With gratitude and thanksgiving, Morgan Peterson
Mary Ann, Although I may be an unknown stranger to you, I am so sorry for your loss. Your grief at the death of your beloved husband, David, after such a long marriage in unspeakable. Yet I wish to share just a few words about my esteem for David and the grief which weighs me down today upon earning of his death. David and I were both members of the West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 1964, I followed him to Duke Divinity School. David was a pioneer in Chaplaincy in the WV Annual Conference and to me, he was rather like a hero, as chaplains were regarded as something less than than a “real” minister at that time. David was someone I always looked up to as a model. How profoundly I regret not being in touch with him throughout the years. David represented everything good about chaplaincy, always serving with excellence and at the highest level of competence. David is the last of a generation of chaplains who pioneered the way for chaplains such as myself, and I hold him dear to my heart in the company of colleagues who left a rich and lasting legacy. May you be keenly aware of God’s presence with you and your family and may the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit be with you and keep you. With gratitude and thanksgiving, Morgan Peterson
Morgan Peterson says:
April 27, 2020 at 11:27 am
Mary Ann, Although I may be an unknown stranger to you, I am so sorry for your loss. Your grief at the death of your beloved husband, David, after such a long marriage in unspeakable. Yet I wish to share just a few words about my esteem for David and the grief which weighs me down today upon earning of his death. David and I were both members of the West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 1964, I followed him to Duke Divinity School. David was a pioneer in Chaplaincy in the WV Annual Conference and to me, he was rather like a hero, as chaplains were regarded as something less than than a “real” minister at that time. David was someone I always looked up to as a model. How profoundly I regret not being in touch with him throughout the years. David represented everything good about chaplaincy, always serving with excellence and at the highest level of competence. David is the last of a generation of chaplains who pioneered the way for chaplains such as myself, and I hold him dear to my heart in the company of colleagues who left a rich and lasting legacy. May you be keenly aware of God’s presence with you and your family and may the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit be with you and keep you. With gratitude and thanksgiving, Morgan Peterson
So sorry to hear about David.
Almighty God abide closely with David’s family and friends in the midst of the death of their beloved David. Help them to feel the closeness and support of your love for them and for him. You promise us, your children, sufficient grace. That sufficient grace does not mean that we do not feel pain or sadness, it means that as we hobble through the circumstances of life, we are not alone – you are there to lean upon – to keep us from collapse and from hopelessness. Oh God, help David’s family and friends to be reassured that you are there for them to lean upon. You are present sharing your strength and comfort. You are present in the midst of things we cannot understand and in the midst of those things that we can. I praise you, O Lord, for you are present with this family whom you love and support.
May the presence of God, the comfort of Christ, and the breath of God’s Spirit bring you comfort, strength, hope, healing, love, and peace.
Amen!
Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball
Mary Ann, we are so surprised to learn of David’s passing. As you know we were friends across the years and have many cherished memories all the way back to high school. So sorry we have not stayed in close contact in person. His achievements have positively impacted many in all aspects and stations in life. We shared so much as fellow campus ministers and classmates at Duke. One of my meaningful memories was serving as a resource for him at a weekend retreat for the Air Force while he was stationed in Montgomery.
Our prayers are with you and the family and know he is in God’s care.
It was my privilege to meet David a few summers ago when he visited the House of the Carpenter, a mission that he founded. He was an engaging, faithful servant who always looked for ways to serve those in need. I am thankful to have met him and I pray God’s blessing on the family as they go through this difficult time.
Mary Ann was so happy to hear from you but had a feeling it wasn’t good news. But then he is with his creator. Hope you are doing well. Age is creeping up on us. I’ll be praying for you and the kids. Just wondering how old Zachary is now.
This comment is late, but please know how much we all love the Kirk family. Memories are so sweet. They influenced our family and will always be cherished.
We have been thinking about you today, and are sending our condolences to you and your family as well. We remember David as a very gentle soul full of goodness and grace. May he rest in the peace of our Lord.
Tita & Steve Pastorius