Donald VanKirk Obituary

Former Durango resident Donald Marker VanKirk Sr. died Sunday, April 27, 2014, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was 59. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Mr. VanKirk was born to Warren and Grace VanKirk on Jan. 21, 1955, in Montclair, New Jersey.

His family moved to Durango in the late 1960s, and Mr. VanKirk attended Durango High School with the Class of 1973. He later lived in Phoenix, where he learned the air-conditioning business.

After a 1979 tornado, Mr. VanKirk went to Wichita Falls with the Army Corps of Engineers to assist with the rebuilding of the city. He went on to found his own air-conditioning business and later bought homes to fix and sell.

He later met Charlene Speice, the woman his family called "the love of his life." The couple married May 28, 1988, in Wichita Falls.

"Donald loved life in the fast lane and enjoyed his sports Mercedes and Porsche that took him there," according to his family. "It was often said that Donald VanKirk ran out of gas more than any other person because he was one to push the limits and believed he could always make it."

The VanKirk family enjoyed traveling to tropical places, having recently returned from a vacation in Hawaii. Mr. VanKirk enjoyed entertaining friends around his pool while cooking out and boating at Lake Texoma. He also loved his dogs Lucy and Roscoe.

"He was a man who took the bull by the horns and shook them!" according to his family. "He loved people and never met a stranger."

Mr. VanKirk is survived by his wife of almost 26 years, Charlene VanKirk, of Wichita Falls; sons Donald Marker VanKirk and Ian Michael VanKirk, both of Wichita Falls; mother, Grace Rice, of Durango; and brother, Warren VanKirk, of Fort Myers, Florida.

A memorial service was held Friday, May 2, 2014, at Owens & Brumley Funeral Home in Wichita Falls. Deacon Jim Bindel officiated.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Wichita Falls Humane Society, P.O. Box 3648, Wichita Falls, TX 76301.

Visit www.owensandbrumley.com to send online condolences.