William T. Kirk IV, a resident of Lake Forest, IL and formerly Palo Alto, CA, died August 21,2023. He was born to M/M William T. Kirk III in Haverford, PA on Dec. 27, 1921. He became the eldest of 5 boys – brothers, Ely, Alan, Richard, and Donald. Brother Alan is surviving.
William attended Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH, graduating in 1940. He then went on to Haverford College, leaving there in late 1942 to enlist in the Army Air Corps. He trained in Texas as a bombardier and was assigned to the U.S. 8th Air Force in England. He and his crew were awarded the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Following his tour of duty he flew back to the US in the plane of his uncle Vice Admiral Alan G. Kirk, Commander of all US Naval Forces for the Normandy invasion. Back in the US he then entered pilot training, a program which was disbanded in mid 1945 after VE Day.
In August 1944 he married Nancy Scribner of Winnetka, Il, and together they had 4 children-Edith K. Miller and Nancy K. Knoblauch of Palo Alto, CA, William Douglass Kirk of Windsor CA and Donald S. Kirk of Prescott, AZ. Over the years, he and Nancy lived in Chestnut Hill, PA, Rye NY, Winnetka, IL and Palo Alto, CA. There are 12 grandchildren (eleven boys and one girl) and 21 great grandchildren. Nancy died in February of 1988.
Returning to Winnetka again he met and married Grace Fuller Greaves in July 1989. They lived for many years in both Menlo Park and Winnetka. She died in Nov. 2018. Bill worked for 40 years for Time Inc., representing the international editions of Time, being based both in Chicago and San Francisco offices.
Over the years he found hobbies in travel, gardening, photography and music. He was a member of Rotary for many years as well as the Indian Hill Club of Winnetka, IL and the Menlo Country Club in Woodside, CA. He will be remembered as a gentleman, a good husband and a loving father, grandfather and great grandfather. He is survived by his loving partner Caryl Powell.
It has been requested that any memorial donations be made to Church of the Holy Spirit, 400 E. Westminster, Lake Forest, IL 60045.
