Obituary of William "Bill" Maurice Kirk

IN LOVING MEMORY OF WILLIAM M. "BILL" KIRK William Maurice Kirk was born at the Norton County Hospital on October 15, 1939 as the second child of Maurice Irving and Edna Lea Hendrickson Kirk of rural Clayton in Decatur County, Kansas, and passed away at the St. Francis Hospital in Topeka, Kansas, on February 5, 2014, at the age of 74. Bill was raised on the family farm west of Clayton, Kansas. After graduating from Clayton High School, he attended Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas from 1957 until 1960. While attending college, he joined the Kansas National Guard and was transferred to the United States Army Reserve in 1960. He ultimately received an honorable discharge from that service in 1963. On August 13, 1961, Bill was married to Stephanie Ann Black of Topeka, Kansas. They were married in the Church of the Transfiguration in Moose Wyoming in Teton National Park. They then returned to Clayton and made their home with his parents, and worked with them in the transition of management of the family farm. They operated the farm for more than 40 years with the help of family and loyal employees. In the early 1970s, the family farm diversified with the construction of a then state of the art 500 sow swine confinement operation. They also expanded the farming operation by purchasing other land and renting additional acreage, and at one time the family farm encompassed more than 5,000 acres, including several irrigated parcels, and a large cattle herd. Their first child, William N. Kirk was born in 1964, and their second son, Philip M. Kirk followed in 1966. Both boys attended and graduated from Jennings High School and later earned degrees from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. During those school years, Bill and Stevie always made their sons a high priority, attending all of their boys' sporting and other school activities, and often with one son in high school and the other in college, would attend a sporting event on a Friday evening and then immediately travel to Manhattan for a college event the next day. In addition to the operation of the family farm, Bill and Stevie owned and managed the Jennings Insurance Agency. While living in Decatur County, Bill served on the Board of Directors of the Jennings Bank from 1979 to 1988 and also served as president of the Decatur County Chamber of Commerce. He served as Chairman of the Kansas Water Authority's Upper Republican Basis Advisory committee and was a past president of the Decatur County Economic Development committee. In an effort to further serve his community, he received his party's nomination for the position of State Representative of the 120th District, which encompassed the area from the Colorado line to Phillipsburg in Northwest Kansas, but notwithstanding his strong campaign was defeated by the incumbent in a close election that required a recount to confirm its results. In 1993, Bill was appointed by President Clinton to be the State Director of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) and Rural Development Administration (RDA) in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In 1994, these agencies were restructured and renamed Rural Economic and Community Development, an agency which oversaw the operation of Rural Utilities Service, Rural Housing and Community Development Service and Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service. In 1996, this mission was renamed USDA Rural Development, and provided necessary financing in the rural areas of the state for housing, community development, cooperative development, water and waste, and infrastructure through its loan and grant programs. In his eight years of service as State Director, Bill was involved in the National Partnership for Reinventing Government, and also served as Chairman of the Kansas Food and Ag Council and Chairman of the Kansas Rural Development Council (KRDC). In connection with his service, he was named a Friend of Rural Water by the Kansas Rural Water Association and a Friend of Rural Kansas by the KRDC. In addition, Vice President Al Gore presented Bill with the Hammer Award for his contributions to citizens of Kansas in connection with his leadership of the KRDC. Notwithstanding his time consuming job responsibilities during these years of service, Bill completed his college studies and graduated from Friends University in 1995 with a B.S. degree in Human Resource Management. Upon completion of his term as State Director, Bill worked as an Application Adjudicator for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. Starting in 2002, he began his service as a Disaster Assistance Employee and as a Disaster Reservist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In these positions, he worked as a Congressional Liaison, a Task Force Leader, Deputy Public Assistance Officer, Public Assistance Coordinator and Project Specialist in the Public Assistance Cadre, assisting public entities nationwide with federal assistance after a declared disaster for over 10 years. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.), Mountain Slope Masonic Lodge, Oberlin, Kansas, the Salina Kansas Scottish Rite and the Isis Shrine. He was a Past Master of the Jennings, Kansas, Masonic Lodge and Past Noble Grand of the Norcatur, Kansas I.O.O.F. Lodge. During his lifetime he also was a member of the Jennings, Kansas Lions Club and served as the Secretary of the Norton County Farmers Union for several years. Bill was proud of his farm heritage, and incorporated his love of farming in a unique toy farm implement collection. Over the last several years, Bill and Stevie traveled to many farm toy shows and he has an extensive collection. He also recently reconditioned the John Deere pedal tractor "operated" by his two boys more than 40 years ago. He was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice and Edna, as well as by his sister, Genevieve Benien. He is survived by his wife, Stephanie Ann, of more than 52 years; his son, William N. Kirk, Vero Beach, Florida; his son, Philip M. Kirk and his wife, Shelly, Oak Grove, Missouri and her two children, Krystal and Kyle Jones; his two grandsons, William (Liam) Skyler Kirk and Albert (Albie) Jonathan Kirk, Vero Beach, Florida; his sister's daughters and his nieces, Reva L. Benien, Norton, Kansas and Ruth M. Benien, Kansas City, Kansas; and many other family members and close friends who were also very important to Bill throughout his nearly 75 years of life. Memorials may be made to The William M. Kirk Rural Development Fund, ? Kansas Rural Communities Foundation, P.O. Box 25, Wamego, Kansas 66547; the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718; or the Clayton Cemetery Memorial Fund, ? Enfeld Funeral Home, 215 West Main, Norton, Kansas 67654.