Daniel T. Kirst

Sept. 14, 1935 – March 6, 2018

Daniel T. Kirst, a former HSBC Bank officer, died March 6 in his East Amherst home from complications following heart surgery. He was 82.

Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and Canisius College, where he was a member of the Army ROTC. He later received a degree from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin and in the Army was a graduate of the Command & General Staff College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Army War College.

Mr. Kirst joined the former Marine Midland Bank in 1961 and managed the Fillmore-Glenwood and Statler Hilton branches before becoming manager of the branch in bank headquarters in the former Marine Midland Center, where he served for 12 years. Prior to his retirement in 1996, he was vice president and manager of the Mortgage & Banking Benefit Program.

He then became a licensed realtor and for 20 years worked at Kirst Commercial Real Estate Corp. in Amherst with his daughter, Karen.

His military service began with an ROTC commission as a second lieutenant. He was stationed for two years with the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment in Germany, then served with the 127th Armor Regiment of the New York National Guard and the 1151st U.S. Army Reserve School. In 1981, he was appointed commander of the 390th Engineer Training Battalion. When he retired in 1989, he held the rank of colonel.

Mr. Kirst was a past president, former director and 50-year member of the Buffalo Kiwanis Club. He also was a past lieutenant governor of the Niagara Frontier West Division of the New York State District of Kiwanis.

He was chairman of the Key Club for the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce and treasurer of the Heart Fund, Easter Seals, the Canisius College Alumni Association and the Buffalo Municipal Baseball Association. He was chief bank adviser for Junior Achievement and served as a fundraiser for Catholic Charities, the United Way, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Better Business Bureau.

An avid baseball player and coach, he was Municipal Player of the Year while playing with the Buffalo All-Stars in 1956 and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. Also a golfer, he was a past member of the Brierwood and Westwood country clubs.

A member of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church for 34 years, he was a member of the St. Gregory's Men's Golf League. He also was a member of the Canisius College DiGamma Society.

In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife of 59 years, the former Margery Metz; another daughter, Kathleen Mendy; a son, Kevin; three grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

A Mass of Christian Burial was offered March 12 in St. Gregory the Great Church, Amherst.