Michael Joseph Kirk

Michael Joseph Kirk, age 65, of Elizabeth, Illinois passed away Saturday, January 7, 2023 at home in the loving care of his family with the support of Hospice of Dubuque. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 28, 2023, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Elizabeth. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service from 10 – 11 a.m. at the Church. A luncheon will follow. Memorials may be made in Mike's honor for Hospice of Dubuque, Elizabeth Ambulance Association, and for the benefit of the Quenten L. "Wally" Van Raalte family.
Michael was born October 20, 1957, in Chicago, the son of Richard and Helen Ann (Ross) Kirk. He attended St. Monica's Grade School in Chicago and is a 1975 graduate of William Howard Taft High School where he excelled at cross country and swimming. He was recruited to swim at the University of Illinois in Chicago where he attended for two years, then attended Northern Illinois University. After college, Mike became a Carpenter's Apprentice following in his father's footsteps.
On June 14, 1980, Mike married Mary Ann Filipiak. They raised two sons, Justin and Dylan, and celebrated forty-two years of marriage. A highlight for Mike was coaching when his sons played little league baseball, and he enjoyed watching them play as they grew older.
Mike worked as a Stationary Fireman for the Chicago Board of Education for eight years. He then worked for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago as an Operating Engineer for twenty-two years before retiring in 2010.
That's when he and Mary Ann found their dream property in the country near Elizabeth. They raised vegetables, grapes for homemade wine, apples, peaches, and even sheep. Living in the country together was a dream come true. Mike loved the Elizabeth Community, he enjoyed helping at the Elizabeth Fair, Dittmar's Pumpkin Patch, and spending endless hours visiting with friends and good neighbors. He is described as being generous with his time and talent. Mike was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Elizabeth.
He will be dearly missed by his wife, Mary Ann of Elizabeth; two sons, Justin (Naomi) Kirk of Glencoe, IL and Dylan (Emily) Kirk of Raleigh, NC; four grandchildren, Sage, Yara, Sedona and Declan; his mother-in-law, Tillie Filipiak of Galena who always called him "my gem,"; three brothers, James (Betty) Kirk of Lemont, IL, Thomas (Christine) Kirk of Downers Grove, IL and Paul (Laura) Kirk of Tower Lakes, IL; and a sister, Rose (Greg) Cotteleer of Arlington Heights, IL; sisters-in-law, Kathy (Joy) Filipiak, Gloria (Gary) Kubik, Sally (John) Filipiak, Pam (James) Filipiak; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by both parents and his father-in-law, Henry Filipiak.