Estelle Stuart Taylor Kirgis

Estelle Stuart Taylor Kirgis was born on March 31, 1942, in San Antonio, the firstborn of Ruth and Frank Taylor. She died of complications from pancreatic cancer on October 4, 2023. She is survived by her husband Charles Kirgis, sister Leith Patton of Cookeville, TN, and son David Kirgis. She was the proud Nana of two grandchildren, Dillon Matthew Kirgis and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Gale Kirgis. She was married to Charles Kirgis for almost 58 years.

Stu, as she was known, had a lifelong passion for the arts and shared these passions with those around her in volunteer work, invitations to events, and her own talent for singing, dance, and ministry. After marriage in Mexia, TX, and the birth of David in California, she was stationed overseas with Charles in Nuremberg and Berlin Germany, as well as London England, for approximately six years, after which they returned to the States and began life in Dallas. Dallas was a welcoming home with extended family around the metroplex and a variety of community activities and the arts.

Stu held a lifelong appreciation for the arts in every form and fashion. She had multiple eras of her own participation in a variety of dance communities including The Killer Swans ballet group, Ukrainian Dancers of Dallas, Sacred dance ministry, the Boneyard Creek Cloggers, and the Brazen Bellies Theatrical belly dance troupe. She also sang in the Austin College acapella choir, Austin College Alumni choir, and the Sanctuary choir at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church. Later in life, Stu found the perfect job as an usher at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center where she worked for 13 years. This was an ideal job because she was able to help people around the symphony center and hear the symphony night after night. Another long-standing passion was volunteer work at In-Sync Exotics, a large cat rescue center in Wylie, TX. Despite her illness she continued to do tours and educate the community as long as she could.

Stu’s life will be celebrated with a memorial service at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church on Saturday, October 14th, 2023 at 11AM with a reception to follow. The service will also be live streamed at the following link: Streaming (phpc.org)

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the following organizations in her honor –

In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center