Thomas Brent Kirby

1951 - 2025

Thomas Brent Kirby

Aug 10, 1951 - Aug 8, 2025

Thomas Brent Kirby of Winston-Salem, NC, passed away August 8, 2025, after a long period of declining health. He was 73.

Brent was born August 10, 1951, the youngest child and only son of E.T. and Lillian Holder Kirby. He had a wonderful childhood growing up on Grandview Drive with his two older sisters and loved recounting stories of all the mischief they made with the neighborhood children. He attended Whitaker Elementary and Wiley Junior High Schools and graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School in 1969. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1973 with a degree in Economics. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, where he made a number of lifelong friends that continued their reunion weekends annually.

Upon graduation, Brent began his banking career at NCNB in Winston-Salem, a professional journey that he would continue as the bank evolved into NationsBank and then Bank of America. He later worked at Wachovia for many years and eventually joined Southern Community Bank and Trust, a job he truly loved due to his wonderful colleagues and customers. He retired from Capital Bank in 2013. He volunteered in the annual Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund Walk for the Cure and was a member of Reynolda Rotary. From childhood, Brent was a devoted member at Ardmore United Methodist Church, where he served on the Finance committee and as an usher. Most recently, he attended Centenary United Methodist Church. For many years, he partnered with several friends and his daughter Evan to serve as a monthly driver for Meals on Wheels.

A member of Forsyth Country Club, he especially loved his golf trips to Bald Head Island, Kiawah Island, and Roaring Gap with good friends. His proudest moment as a golfer was scoring a hole in one on hole #13 at Bald Head. Brent loved the everyday joys of life, whether watching the birds, going for drives in the country, hanging with his beloved dogs, laughing at the Andy Griffith Show, or having lunch with friends each week.

Above all else, Brent was a family man. In 1974, he married Barbara Clodfelter, also of Winston-Salem, and later welcomed two daughters, Laura Kirby Murdock and Evan Kirby Dunnagan. He loved being a husband and father and took great pleasure in spending time with his family, whether riding bikes to Reynolda Village, watching Jeopardy and Law & Order together, or teaching his girls how to body surf at Sunset Beach. He enjoyed coaching youth soccer and never missed any sports game or swim meet. He was devoted to his parents, making sure to see them several times each week, and took great care to maintain his relationships with his sisters. Brent's repertoire of hilarious anecdotes has given his family, friends and colleagues great delight over the years. He was especially popular with his daughters' friends, many of whom developed their own friendships with him, and was extremely fond and proud of his two sons-in-law, Brian Murdock and Mark Dunnagan, and his six grandchildren, three of whom are named for him. Brent was much loved and will be deeply missed.

Brent was predeceased by his parents and beloved older sister, Linda Kirby, and is survived by his wife of 51 years, Barbara Clodfelter Kirby; his daughter Laura Murdock (Brian) and their children Colin Thomas Murdock, James Troughton Murdock, and Adam Kirby Murdock; his daughter Evan Dunnagan (Mark) and their children Caroline Thomas Dunnagan, Robert Jones (Jay) Dunnagan III, and Sara Louise (Sally) Dunnagan; and his sister Ellen Kirby (Richard McGavern) and nephew Matthew Kirby-Smith.

A service to honor Brent's life will be held Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 2:00 pm at Centenary United Methodist Church, 646 West Fifth Street, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A reception will follow immediately after the service in the Memorial Auditorium at the church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund) at http://www2.breakthrought1d.org/goto/Brentkirby, or the Music and the Arts Ministry Fund at Centenary United Methodist Church at https://onrealm.org/centenaryws/-/form/give/now. Select the Music Program Reserve option from the drop-down box. Condolences may be shared online at www.salemfh.com.

Salem Funeral & Cremation Service

2951 Reynolda Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27106