Individual Details

New Castle News, New Castle, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, April 28, 2004, Page 5, Cols. 1 & 2: Kathryn M. Kirk, a lifelong resident of New Castle and widow of Howard M. Kirk, died at the age of 101 of natural causes on April 21, 2004 in Washington, D.C. She had lived at The Presbyterian Home there since the death of husband in 1997.

Born Kathryn Matheny on Sept. 2, 1904 she lived in New Castle all her life, with the exception of her years attending Sargent College in Boston, where she received a degree in physical education. She subsequently earned a master's degree at the University of Pittsburgh and taught at Slippery Rock University prior to her marriage in 1940 of Howard Kirk, the owner of Kirk-Hutton.

Mrs. Kirk was an involved member of the New Castle community for 50 years and gave many hours of her time to organization she felt made the community a better place to live. In addition to work with the Girl Scouts, Red Cross and American Field Service student exchange program, she was active for more than 30 years with the Jameson Aid Society and was instrumental in setting up the James Hospital family room in 1972.

She joined the First Presbyterian Church in 1916 and served the church and the Shenango presbyterial in a variety of capacities including presbyterial president. She was a member of the Almira Home board of trustees for more the last 20 years was Meals on Wheels, an organization which captured her interest shortly after it was founded in 1970. She was named director in 1974 and serviced in that capacity until 1991.

In recognition of her contributions to the community, the XI Gamma Psi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi named Mrs. Kirk First Lady of New Castle in 1982. The Pomona Grange named her Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 1988.

Mrs. Kirk is survived by her two daughters, Elizabeth Kirk Stewart of Washington, D. C., and Kay Sheehan of New York; two grandsons, Andrew Stewart of Chicago and Christopher Stewart of Toronto, Canada; and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held in New Castle at the First Presbyterian Church on Saturday, May 22, at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that contributions in memory of Mrs. Kirk may be made to Meals on Wheels, PO Box 5122, New Castle 16105.

Birth	2 Sep 1902	New Castle, Lawrence Co., Pennsylvania
Marriage	13 Jun 1940	New Castle, Lawrence Co., Pennsylvania - Howard Manning Kirk Jr.
Death	21 Apr 2004	Washington, D. C.
Burial		Oak Park Cemetery, New Castle, Lawrence Co., Pennsylvania

Spouse	Howard Manning Kirk Jr. (1905 - 1997)
Child	Elizabeth Kirk ( - )
Child	Kathryn Kirk ( - )