Mildred Margaret Henrichs Kirk

She Loved Flowers and the World She Said She Was So Lucky to Live In

Mildred Margaret Henrichs Kirk, known to some as “Mil,” but simply known to her three sons as “Mom,” has left her world of beautiful birds, lovely flowers, fascinating rocks, and thousands of wonderful friends on Monday, July 18, 2011 at the young age of 91. She was born January 15, 1920 on a small farm on Caney Creek in Wharton Texas. After years of working on the farm and making clothing, furniture, and can goods for the 4H-Club (1930-38), she attended Texas State College for Woman in Denton, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Home Demonstration in 1942. In 1942-43 she taught school at Lawson, walking two miles every day to get there. She married her husband, Samuel Keith Kirk, a senior cadet at Texas A. & M. on December 20, 1943 and she moved to College Station. Keith already had a BS in Entomology, and in two more years would receive a Dr. of Veterinary Medicine. Joining the Army, Keith’s first duty station was Modesto, California, where they had their first two children, Don and Jerry. Their second duty station was in Alaska (1951-54) where their third son, Doug, was born. They were stationed in places such as Illinois, California, Missouri, and Texas including a memorable tour in the Netherlands (1966-69). She loved gardening, oil and china painting, quilting, firing ceramics, restoring furniture, as well as leatherwork, needlepoint, knitting, crocheting, cooking outdoors, and growing green things, especially ones that bloomed with beautiful flowers. She genuinely had a green thumb and no matter what she planted—or where—it grew and grew, turning every house in which she lived into a lovely arboretum. When quite young, she collected seeds in the pastures and threw them out on the highway (long before Lady Bird’s wildflower program). Her family and friends were her life, and she was always going out of her way to help them. She had many life-long friends (including pen pals from around the world). But above all, she simply had an eternal love for nature and all of God’s fantastic creatures. When Keith retired in 1975 at Fort Sill Oklahoma, they moved to San Antonio for the last time and made it their permanent home. She was preceded in death by her son Jerry, husband Keith, sisters Mable and Lillie, and brother, Walter.

She is survived by her sons Don and Doug, granddaughters Kelsie and Kristina, and daughters-in-law Jo and Valerie. Services will be held at Sunset Funeral Home & Memorial Park on Austin Highway in San Antonio at 12:00 noon Wednesday the 27th of July, 2011 with interment at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. No visitation hours. The pallbearers will be Harold Shafer, Jim Cox, Mase Weems, Wilkie Ross, C.R. Nowell, Ken Wallace, Victor Meinkoth, and Benjamin Puckett, with alternates Alan Avery and Chuck Norris. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Matthews United Methodist Church (2738 Bitters Road, San Antonio, TX 78217), or plant a nice tree in her name.

Arrangements under the direction of Sunset Funeral Home, San Antonio, TX.