Dr. Roland Wade Kirk

Dr. Roland Wade Kirk, beloved husband and father, 81, of San Angelo died Tuesday, February 19, 2019, following a lengthy illness. He will be buried February 22 in a private family ceremony. He was born in 1937 in Winfield, Alabama to Dwight Louis Kirk and Wylene Cassity Kirk, both teachers. When he was a teenager, his family moved to Texas where his father pursued a doctorate at the University of Texas Austin. He graduated from Odessa High School in 1955 and then attended Texas Tech University, where he met his wife of 59 years, Ellen Wheeler. After graduating and marrying Ellen, he became a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps, achieving the rank of Captain. Though he did not see wartime service, he was deployed on board a carrier blockading the island during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. His love and fascination for aviation continued throughout his life. Upon discharge from the Marine Corps, Wade and Ellen moved to Austin, Texas. While pursuing his graduate education, he taught in the public schools of Austin, served as the assistant principal of Lanier High School, and became a father to son, Mark. In 1972, he received his PhD from the University of Texas and embarked upon a long and distinguished career of service in community college administration, serving as President of Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas, and President of Vernon College in Vernon, Texas. Upon his retirement, Vernon College named the softball field Wade Kirk Field in his honor. In addition to Wade's professional accomplishments, he was a devoted husband and father and loving son and brother. He had a ready sense of humor, gentle demeanor, and love and respect for his family, friends, and colleagues. He had a special love for animals, particularly his favorite cat, Shadow, and miniature dachshund, April. He enjoyed spending time outside and working in his yard. His son, Mark, fondly recalls his father introducing him to the woods of East Texas on morning walks and inspiring his own love of the outdoors. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends. Wade was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Joanna Heller. Survivors include his wife, Ellen Kirk; son Mark Kirk, daughter-in-law Jody Stock, and grandson Alec; sister Glenda Young and husband Bill; niece Jessica Hodge; nephews Greg Young, Phil Young, Roger Hodge, and Jacob Heller. The family would like to thank Esther Flores and C’Jay Ellwanger for their care and concern during Wade's illness. Should you wish to remember Wade, his family asks that a gift be made to the Dr. Wade Kirk Scholarship at Vernon College through malexander@vernoncollege.edu or (940) 552-6291 ext 2293, a donation to San Angelo Meals for the Elderly at sameals@mealsfortheelderly.org or (325) 655-9200, or a charity of your choice.