George Michael 'Mike' Kirk

“I was born when I was very young, in an apartment in Detroit, Mich.” This is how one of Mike’s numerous journals began. Actually, Mike was born May 3, 1947, 10:39 p.m. at St. Josephs Mercy Hospital in Detroit, Mich.

Mike grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., 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 that 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 that 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, Aug. 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.