Richard Odett Kirk

Richard married Joyce Turner in Knoxville, TN, in 1964. (After the children left home, He and Joyce divorced but remained friends.) He moved to Texas to begin a new life and job at Dow Chemical. They raised Roy and Kimberly; he was a good provider and wanted the best for them; the children had fond memories of time spent with Richard. He taught his children to love reading and education. The house was filled with books and Saturday afternoons were spent at the used bookstore. Even in recent years, he would simultaneously read and listen to two different books! He often took them swimming and rented motor homes to explore KOA campgrounds in many parts of Texas. He loved to travel; these trips included the beautiful hill country. He was better than a travel guide, and could remember details of places he went. He even remembered the exact routes in Europe he traveled in previous years without the aid of GPS.

Richard worked for 30 years as a Chemical Engineer in the Polycarbonate Research at Dow Chemical. His work took him to Europe and Asia. Through these trips, he was able to travel and investigate more of the world. He worked until recently in training a new group in his expertise as a consultant.

He is truly loved and missed by his love and partner Linda Solecki and her children Paul and Paula, his daughter and her family, a cousin Kinez Yanone who was as close as a sister, and Joe Moss, a best friend that truly was a brother. Richard was special to many relatives and friends. He loved photography and had a story for each slide. He often entertained with stories from his world travels. He was an educated man, a scientist, who loved to read, learn, and investigate. He was educated but often worked with his hands; rebuilding autos and various home construction projects. He graduated with a BS from the University of Tennessee. He became a chemical engineer at age 26. He made many accomplishments at work through promotions and patents. He worked on refining chemical processes through polycarbonate research. He became Senior Associate Scientist before retiring after 30 years with Dow. He and Linda moved to a home by the lake in Virginia. He so much enjoyed the outdoors. He would observe all sorts of animals, including deer, turkey, osprey, and eagles. In fact, one hobby he had was bird watching. In addition to these animals, he and Linda enjoyed the antics of their dog Annie and cat Sammy. In this small Virginia community of Montross he loved going to the library and playing cards with friends. A few years ago, he suffered a life-changing accident. He had to relearn basic skills. He was very dedicated to his rehabilitation. He often lamented not having enough therapy. He received a power chair from Joe. He was able to move around and spend time outside. You only had to look at his legs to see how he loved time in the sun! In addition to his accomplishments, he spent time with friends and family. He often enjoyed discussing Paul’s job as an engineer in the aerospace, going to Cheesecake factory with Joe and new friends at Brookdale, and looking at his grandson’s latest art projects.

Richard is preceded in death by his parents and his beloved son Roy.

Honorary pallbearers are Paul Solecki , Patrick and Gehrig Solecki, Chad Bittick , Joshua Bittick , and Joe Moss.

We want to thank all the loving support from family, friends, caregivers, therapists, and medical professionals.

This a difficult time compounded by COVID 19. Richard cared about people and was very safety conscious. He was taking precautions until his death and would not want any of us to now take chances. In lieu of hugs and handshakes, we will be practicing physical distancing and wearing masks. Please know we thank you and appreciate all your support.