Miriam Gail Mogle Kirkegaard, passed away peacefully after an extended illness on May 12, 2018, in The Woodlands, Texas. Our beloved mother, grandmother, friend and teacher was lovingly comforted and embraced by her family and close friends in her final hours.
Miriam was born in Winfield, Kansas on July 16, 1935, to Aletha Rae Mogle and William Floyd Mogle, who preceded her in death. She had a younger brother, Marc William Mogle, who passed away at the age of six months.
Miriam attended Winfield Public Schools and graduated from Winfield High School in 1953. She excelled in the fine arts, especially on the violin and piano, but her favorite high school activity was being a member of the Winfield High School Debate team. She excelled at debate and won many debate tournaments.
In 1952, she was a delegate to the American Legion Auxiliary Kansas Girls State and was voted as one of two representatives from Kansas to attend the American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. She was honored to meet President Harry Truman at the White House’s Rose Garden. She always said that this opportunity was one of her most memorable lifetime moments.
Miriam graduated with honors from the University of Iowa in 1957. Her major was speech pathology and audiology and she was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She was also a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Freshman Honor Society and Kappa Alpha Theta Social Sorority and was tapped for Mortar Board in her junior year.
On July 13, 1957, Miriam married Dr. Roger S. Kirkegaard of Esterville, Iowa. They had three children, Lori Kirkegaard Williams, Jon Kirkegaard, and James Kirkegaard. They were divorced in 1976.
In 1963, Miriam moved with her family to Topeka, Kansas, where she was an active member of the Topeka Alumnae Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta, The Junior League of Topeka, The First Presbyterian Church, a charter member of the Mulvane Art Center Women's Board, and the President for The Performing Arts for Children.
Miriam worked in her major until she stayed home to lovingly raise her three young children. She later began a second career as a reading and language arts teacher for the 501 Topeka School District. In 1978, she received her Master's Degree in Education from Washburn University and graduated Summa Cum Laude. After teaching at Landon, Jardine Middle Schools, and Topeka West High School, she retired in the spring of 1997. She so loved teaching that she continued to substitute-teach in the high schools for several years, until declining health made it too difficult.
In 2009, Miriam left her beloved Kansas to move close to her daughter and son-in-law in The Woodlands, Texas. She embraced her time as a Texan. She resided at The Conservatory for Senior Living, The Village at The Woodlands Waterway and, most recently, at The Pines at Oakhurst where she had many friends and loving caregivers. Miriam is a member of The Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include her three children, their respective spouses, six grandchildren, and one grandson-in-law. They include: Lori and Mark Williams, The Woodlands, Texas; their daughters, Kirsten Swanson and husband Peter Swanson, Dallas, Texas; Lindsey Williams and fiancé, Jonathan Lindsey, Houston, Texas; Jon and Kim Kirkegaard; their son Erik and daughter Katherine, Dallas, Texas; James and Laurie Kirkegaard, their son Ethan and daughter Alexandra, Atlanta, Georgia.
The family will receive visitors in the Chapel at Forest Park Funeral Home, 18000 Interstate 45 S, The Woodlands, TX, 77384 on Friday, May 25, from 4-7 p.m. Family and Friends are invited to attend a celebration of Miriam's life at The Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church, 4881 W. Panther Creek Dr., The Woodlands, TX, 77381, on Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. Please honor Miriam by wearing her favorite colors, navy, royal blue or purple. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Winfield, Kansas next to her dearly beloved parents and brother.
Contributions can be made in her memory to The Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church, The Woodlands, Texas; The First United Methodist Church, Winfield, Kansas; or The First Presbyterian Church, Topeka, Kansas.
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