Gary Lee Kirk

February 12, 1954 - April 15, 2020

Cary, North Carolina

Gary Lee Kirk passed away on Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 at his home in Cary after a courageous fight with cancer. He was born in Summit County, Ohio, on February 12th, 1954, to Ralph and Phyllis Kirk. He graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School in 1972, where he lettered in baseball and basketball, and cum laude from Akron University in 1980. Gary began his career teaching high school math then transitioned to software development, ultimately starting his own company in 1994 with his valued partners, Mark Medlin, Bob Collins, and Pete Sturgess. After retiring from corporate life, Gary went back to his first love, teaching math to GED students at Wake Technical Community College. He was preceded in death by his mother and father and by a brother, Marty. Surviving him are his wife of 31 years, Shelagh; his beloved children Jennifer Leigh (Jonathan), Lindsay Michelle (Fabian), Brian Martin (Allie); and his precious grandsons, Everett and Jackson, along with their wonderful "GG", Nancy. He will also be deeply missed by his brother Dave (Kim), and his sisters, Debbie (Roger) and Lori (Doug), along with numerous nieces and nephews. Gary was a devoted father, an athlete, and a committed teacher, who loved music and sports. He was introspective and had a wicked sense of humor. A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the V Foundation for Cancer Research, 14600 Weston Parkway, Cary NC 27513 (v.org). Our family would like to thank the remarkable staff at the V Foundation; our kind friends and neighbors, the Perrys and the Kellingtons; Dr. Zafar and his team at Duke Cancer Center; and Transitions LifeCare of Wake County.

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Published by The News and Observer on Apr. 19, 2020.

Memories and Condolences
for Gary Kirk

Sponsored by City of Oaks Cremation.

12 Entries

Howard Ellis

April 29, 2020

I worked as a tutor helping Gary in his math class at Wake Tech for the last couple of years. He was invariably pleasant and upbeat no matter the challenges his students presented. He was very concerned with his students' success. He made a special effort to make his class interesting and relevant, and peppered his presentation with humor, some spontaneous wit and some corny old jokes, but always funny. He will be missed.

Peter Sturgess

April 29, 2020

Gary and I worked together for many years. Our professional responsibilities often clashed and our opinions often differed.
Despite these differences I never once doubted Gary's integrity and his good intent.
I will always respect Gary and admire how he lived his life.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Shelagh and family.

Bob and Chris Kellington

April 28, 2020

We have been neighbors and friends of the Kirks for years. We will miss seeing Gary walking and out biking. He always had such a wonderful, quiet sense of humor. We could not ask for better neighbors. We will miss him always.

Anne Tekmen

April 28, 2020

I also worked with Gary at Wake Tech. I agree with all the lovely sentiments (and fond memories!) expressed by my co-workers.

Gary was a beautiful soul. He helped everyone he could and brightened the day of those around him. And he always made me laugh.

We will dearly miss him.

Rita Feggins

April 27, 2020

I worked with Gary's wife and although I did not directly know Gary well, I felt like I knew him through Shelagh. My family and I were fortunate enough to learn of his kindness and generosity first hand. I have a grandson that is an all star football player at 13 years of age. Having a great love for sports, Gary followed my grandson's football life through his wife and learned that he was invited to an all american game at Dolphins stadium in Miami. Little did we know that even though Gary was dealing with his diagnosis, and pain at this time, he was listening to the stories intently and had decided he wanted to help a young person to obtain their dream. He did this in an anonymous and low key way, which I have learned was his personality. His very large donation to my grandson's fundraising efforts not only allowed him to attend and dominate at the all american game, it allowed us to go as a family to support him. Gary was a special and unique person, and his time on this earth has made a difference not only to his wife, children, grandchildren, and extended family, but to those of us that were blessed enough to just pass his way. Well done on a life that made a difference and Love and blessings to his friends and family. He will not be forgotten by this Family.

Kathryn Allen

April 22, 2020

I was privileged to work with Gary at Wake Tech. He was a talented and dedicated teacher who went out of his way to reach his students and help them achieve their goals. He was especially gifted at working with students who found math or life challenging. He took the time to get to know each student and find a way to make the learning personal. He was also happy to share resources and insights with his colleagues. I will always remember Gary in a classroom and that image will make me smile.

Virginia Albing

April 21, 2020

I was a colleague of Gary's at Wake Tech. I loved his sense of humor and that he was such a humble guy. He was a natural at teaching. I enjoyed his sense of humor and appreciated that he enjoyed mine (as twisted as it could be sometimes, he got it.) That was the fun thing about Gary. He got it. He knew where he was and who he was working with whether it was a student or another teacher. I really really liked that about him. He has been missed for sure all these months while he was sick and will continue to be missed. I'm glad he was part of our gang there at the BEC trying to help students move onto better things. He really did play a part in that.

Dan Fuccella

April 20, 2020

As a class assistant in Gary's math classes at Wake Tech, I continuously admired his dedication to his work in providing the students with a blend of professional instruction and warmhearted humor. He stands as a fine example to us all and will be greatly missed by both students and staff at Wake Tech.

Bill Albing

April 20, 2020

Gary was a great guy to work for at Paragon Application Systems. He's one of the reasons that I have been so committed to work there. He was genuinely one of the nicest guys I have ever worked for and worked with. I will miss him.

Dave

April 19, 2020

The thing about Gary was that he was never negative, or critical. He was always encouraging and supportive. And when you combine that with that sense of humor, he was always such a pleasure to be with. Thanks for everything Gar. Much love.

Kathy Cameron

April 18, 2020

Gary was indeed quick witted but he was also a very ethical man. When I worked with Gary, I was always confident that he had the best interests of our clients and the reputation of our business as his first priority. That doesn't mean he always listened to my advice - like when I tried to tell him it was dangerous to ride his bike from Cary to Holly Springs.

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