David F. Kirwan

KIRWAN, David F. David F. Kirwan, 87, of Glenbrook Road, West Simsbury, passed away, Friday, (October 19, 2007) as a result of injuries sustained during a pole vaulting accident. At least, that was how he envisioned it in an earlier version of his obituary that he penned himself. In fact, he passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family. Mr. Kirwan was born on Nov. 16, 1919, in Peoria, IL to Francis P. and Virginia (Brothers) Kirwan. He was predeceased by his parents and only brother, John P. "Jack" Kirwan as well as by his wife's parents, eight of his sisters and brothers-in-law and several nieces and nephews. Besides his beloved wife of sixty one years, Catherine (Lunsford) Kirwan, he is survived by their six, forever grateful children and their spouses: Gloria and David Michael Gick of West Simsbury, Anna Kirwan of Easthampton, MA, David Michael and Jean McPheeters Kirwan of Duluth, MN, James Kirwan of Chicago, IL, Mary Jo Kirwan of Glendale, CA and Alice and Michael Murray of Los Angeles, CA. He is also survived by his loving grandchildren: Caroline, Catherine, and Christopher Gick, Paul and Jennifer Lusheer Gick, and Alison and Joseph Pouthier; Korena Schlegel, Max and Robin Vogel; Alexander and Leticia Lacy Kirwan, Wednesday and Molly Kirwan; by his beloved sisters- and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews; and by his first great grandchild, Jonah Gick. Mr. Kirwan graduated from Spalding Institute in Peoria and received his engineering education at Bradley Institute and the University of Virginia. Having been a champion aircraft modeler as a young man, he was then recruited by NACA at Langley Field. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II as a flight radio operator in North Africa and Europe. Mr. Kirwan worked for various aviation and instrument companies throughout his career. "Start-up" and initial operation of aerospace R&D Laboratories became his specialties. He was an Apollo moon-landing project quality control engineer, worked on missile guidance systems and had noteworthy inventions in the optical measurement and machine control fields. He was a senior manufacturing R&D engineer at Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford at the time of his retirement in 1985. He served eleven years as a member of the Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance Association. At the age of 70, he attained his private pilot's license and flew for several years. His lifelong interest in photography has bequeathed a six-decade record of the extensive family that was his great joy. Music was a huge passion of his. A choral singer since the age of six, he sang in all of the parishes he ever attended. This culminated with his position as tenor cantor and soloist at St. Catherine's Church in West Simsbury where he especially loved singing the Easter Exultet. David Kirwan was a warm, forbearing, self-disciplined, and generous man with a quiet passion to understand the inner workings of all things and situations. He was a hero to his family and will be truly missed. Friends may call at the Vincent Funeral Home, 880 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, Tuesday, October 23, 7-9 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday, October 24, 10:30 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 265 Stratton Brook Road, West Simsbury. Burial will be in Simsbury Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 301, Simsbury, CT 06070 or to Farmington Valley VNA, 8 Old Mill Lane, Simsbury, CT 06070 or to the Archdiocese of Hartford, Office of the Catholic Schools, Attn: Memorial Donations, 467 Bloomfield Avenue, Bloomfield, CT 06002. For on-line condolence and directions please visit www.vincentfuneralhome.com