James “Curly” Wesley Kirkpatrick 82, of Surprise, AZ passed away peacefully on January 1, 2015 at home surrounded by his family and friends after a short battle with cancer. He was born in Council Grove, KS on October 1, 1932 to George and Irma Pearl Kirkpatrick. Jim graduated from Emporia High School in 1950 and attended Emporia State College. Jim served in the Korean War with the US Coast Guard on the USCGC Bittersweet in the Aleutian Islands from 1951 to 1952 before becoming a Surveyor on the Kansas Turnpike and at Beech Aircraft in Wichita. Jim moved to Arizona in 1960 and worked as a Surveyor in present day Sun City, AZ before joining the Phoenix Fire Department, where he spent 23 ½ years, retiring in 1983 as a Captain. Jim loved hunting, fishing, softball and the L.A. Dodgers. He was a member of the Genealogy Society in Youngtown, AZ.
Jim married Cara Jean Britton in 1959, but later divorced. Jim is preceded in death by his parents, George and Irma Pearl Kirkpatrick, second mother, Dr. Wynona Mae Kirkpatrick (Jeanneret), PhD of Hartford, KS, and one sister, Wanda Perry of Livermore, CA. Surviving Jim are his wife of 38 years, Donna Jean Kirkpatrick (Salsgiver), son James Denton Kirkpatrick of Surprise, AZ, brother George Denton Kirkpatrick II of Afton, OK, sister Wynona Kay Prost of Springfield, MO, grandson Jereme Wilbar (Cathy) of Chandler, AZ, three great-grandchildren, Alyssa, Emma and Cade Wilbar and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery in Phoenix, AZ on Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 1:00pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the National Fire Historical Foundation in Phoenix, AZ, Phoenix Fire charities, Hospice of the Valley, American Cancer Society, or charity of your choice in Jim’s name.
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