Tributes

Joe Sterling "Ted" Kirby, who was born on October 23, 1915, to Gus and Eliza Kirby of Goldthwaite, Texas, passed from this life on February 6, 2012, at the age of 96. He had a wonderful life, a life which embodied everything that was great about America's "Greatest Generation"--hard work, integrity, and dedication to God and country. After graduating from Goldthwaite High School in 1933, Mr. Kirby, a gifted athlete, began his college education at Howard Payne University, where he also played football. But the hard economic conditions of the times forced repeated interruptions upon his schooling, at one point constraining him to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's famed New Deal. When World War II erupted, he enlisted in the Navy and, as an officer in the rank of Captain, served our country in the South Pacific from 1942 to 1945. After the war, he completed his education and entered the teaching profession, where he had a long and notable career. For those who had the opportunity to know Mr. Kirby as teacher or coach, he will be remembered with affection and respect as a firm yet genuinely devoted educator. While coaching football at El Dorado High School in 1949, he met and married Iola Sutton, who was also a teacher, and they remained together, steadfast and loving, for 58 years until her death in 2007. He was a good, Christian man who always tried to do what he believed was right, a solid citizen, husband, and father until the end. His children, Craig, Gus, and Laura Ann, loved him very much and will miss him. He was also loved, and will be remembered, by his grandchildren, Clint, Sarah, and Rebekah Blanchard, and Jason, T.J., Chad, Mitch, Betsy, and Chip Linahan, his daughter-in-law Anne Linahan Kirby, and his brother, Billy Wallace Kirby of Jal, New Mexico. Mr. Kirby's family is grateful to their father's in-home care providers, Visiting Angels, and also to his many Christian friends at Sunset Ridge Church of Christ in San Antonio. SERVICES A visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North. A chapel service will be held at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North with interment to follow at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Tributes

Joe Sterling Kirby

October 23, 1915 - February 6, 2012