William”Willie” Kirk, former West Union Fire Chief, honored for service

The casket of “Willie” Kirk is carried by West Union firefighters before the funeral procession on July 14. (Photo by Sherry Larson)

William”Willie” Kirk, former West Union Fire Chief, honored for service

It was “flags raised” as the funeral procession of former fire chief “Willie” Kirk passed through the streets of the village. (Photo by Sherry Larson)

A West Union fire truck carries “Willie” Kirk to his final resting place. (Photo by Sherry Larson)

William “Willie” Kirk passed away at age 91 on July 11 and was laid to rest on July 14 in a true fireman’s fashion. Willie was a 35-year West Union Volunteer Fire Department member and served as the Fire Chief for 15 years. He became fire chief after his father-in-law Everett Holmes retired. He was well-known in the community and served in other prominent roles such as the Village Council and Lions Club, and was a founding member of the West Union Volunteer Life Squad in 1973.

Willie was born on Ripley Pike in Brown County, Ohio, and raised on the family farm. He married Mary Margaret (Margie) Holmes and had three children – daughters Sara Lewis and Eydie Kirk and son Duane. Margie preceded Willie in death after they were married for 62 years. He is survived by his children, six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Willie was a Korean War Veteran serving with the 39th Infantry Regiment in the U.S. Army. He received a Purple Heart for being injured in the line of duty and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars.

His love for automobiles led Willie to his first job at Richard Gates Auto Sales in West Union and later at Fannin’s Chevrolet in Pebbles. He eventually started his own business, Kirk’s Body Shop, in West Union. He owned Kirk’s Water Hauling and provided water to families who did not have access to county water. Willie also drove a bus for the Adams County schools, later transferring to distribution for schools in the district.

Last Thursday afternoon, the flag hung suspended over the roadway on Sunrise Avenue in West Union as the funeral procession drove under it. A firetruck transported Willie’s casket, and his little blue El Camino followed behind. The tribute was fitting for a man who had spent his life protecting and serving others.

Sara and Eydie shared stories of their Dad and his time as a firefighter. Eydie told a story about when the fire department was located on Market Street. She said, “It was during the night, and the phone rang – the fire department was on fire.” She continued, “Off goes Dad running down the street. He’s running upstairs because they had glass display cases with all the memorabilia from the fire department.” Sara interjects that there were items in there that belonged to Grandpa. Eydie explained that Willie would run the things down to his grandkids and have them run the objects to the house. Eydie said, “My granddad’s actual fire hat was in there, and my mother was trying to run in there, and Dad kept pushing her back.” Willie assured his wife that he was trying to find the hat, and the floor fell through. No one was injured. They lost the building but saved the trucks – and granddad’s hat!

One of Sara’s favorite stories regarding her dad happened when Prather’s IGA caught on fire. Sara said, “I remember the alarm going off, and it was Prather’s IGA on fire. And everybody would do anything for Mr. Prather.” Mr. Dryden of Dryden’s store called and told Sara to have her mom start making sandwiches. Willie worked at Prather’s IGA as a young man when it was a car lot and had remembered that it had a false roof. Sara said, “He was down there screaming to tell those boys, ‘His boys’ as he called them, to get off that roof because it’s going to collapse. They fought that fire all night long.”

Another favorite Sara shared was about the Amish community when their bakery was in a two-story home. The family lived upstairs, and the bakery was downstairs. Willie told the story of that house catching on fire. She said the Amish had a bucket brigade to put out the fire when the different fire departments arrived on the scene. Of course, Willie and his men took charge, but he shared that the Amish folks were great about doing whatever they could to help.

After the 10th anniversary of 9-11 in 2011 and his wife’s passing in 2014, Willie’s health went downhill, and he was diagnosed with dementia. He lived at the Ohio Veterans Home in Georgetown, Ohio when he passed.

Willie’s daughters have received many kind words, memories, and condolences. With the assistance of West Union Fire Chief J.R. Kirker and the fire department, and Mayor Jason Buda, Sara and Eydie organized Willie’s funeral procession. Sara received a message from a former fire department cadet. It stated, “I learned discipline from Willie, which has helped me throughout my life.”

Willie was honored with a last-call bell service. He responded to a fire alarm throughout his service, and this ceremony was reminiscent of his sacrifice. “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” (Campbell) William “Willie” Kirk lived the life of a hero.

Location: 25 Rice Drive West Union, Ohio 45693 E-Mail: info@peoplesdefender.com Call: 937-544-2391 Fax: 937-544-2298