I feel very proud and grateful to have known Mr. Kirby and his wife, Mo. I was a student at the University of Wisconsin when I interviewed for Exxon Production Research Company in 1978. Mr. Kirby (which is what I have called him all these years, or just 'Kirby' or 'Kirb') interviewed me then, and was my first 'boss' in 1980. We have been fast friends ever since. Kirb was such a generous man. After he retired, he came back to work to help me finish a big VSP project and came along with me and my 'crew' to King Ranch to collect the data. When Mo went to Hawaii to visit her son, Kirb missed her so much that he proposed to her over the phone. I was so proud to be invited to their wedding. My children and I visited Kirb and Mo many times a year after they moved to Victoria. They helped me to raise the kids and were like another set of grandparents to my two children. The kids even earned their 'Eagle' badge flying in Kirb's Eagle. When times were tough for me, Kirb would take me to his shop at the airport to talk in private. He would cheer me up by showing me his latest project, including the helicopter, and the plane he so generously fixed for free for a man who crashed at the Victoria Airport. When I remarried, Kirb and Mo embraced my new husband. Kirby was a charter member of the Exxon Flying Club (now ExxonMobil). We attended many Fly-in's at their house in Victoria, which were held every year for 14 years, except for 9/11 when the airspace was closed. Kirb designed and built a special tent, to shade the deck, that was put up only once a year for those fly-ins. Kirb offered everyone and anyone a ride in his Eagle. I had watched him build that plane from the first day in Houston when he had the struts and wings in his garage. It took eleven years to finish that project. And I was able to enjoy that plane, years later in Victoria, thanks to his generosity. My husband, Ralph, my son, Jason, and I were able to visit Kirb and Mo twice since they moved to San Antonio. Again, they were very generous with us, as always, treating us to dinner and to our room. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Kirby and Mo, for some of the very best memories of my life. Although my husband, Ralph, knew Kirby for only a short time, he and I both cried together. We will miss him.

A real pioneer, engineer and aviator extrordinaire. A true Texas gentleman. We will miss you but your memory will always be with us. Mo, you are in our hearts and mind. Love and prayers, Kate and Mark

Kirby was a dear family friend of my mother Jo Giulio and step-father Stan Giulio. All three worked together in Tulsa prior to the Exxon days and then were transferred to Houston together. I have many fond memories of coming home from a date only to find Kirby, his wife, my parents, and the Levins dancing Bob Wills's "San Antonio Rose". Kirby truly cared for his family and friends. My sincere condolences. Janice Edmiston

Here is a wonderful person and a wonderful scholar. I always admired his work ethic and his stamina. Always first to lend a helping hand, he kept us amused with his stories. He with his wife Mo, spread a lot of love, a lot of hugs, and a lot of laughs. Let's not let him down as he would want us to celebrate his life! Mo, you are in my heart and on my mind. All my love and Prayers, Kathy

Mr. Kirby and his Christian Eagle are inseparable spirits for me now and forever. A wonderful man and a good friend!

We are so sorry for your loss -- Mr Kirby was a neighbor of ours in Victoria, TX. He and Mrs Kirby were certainly wonderful neighbors, and we hated to see them move several years ago. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

OBITUARY

Robert Andrew Kirby

29 July, 1919 – 21 February, 2011

Porter Loring Mortuary - McCullough

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