Bill Kirby

Born July 28, 1946, at his grandparents home in Kerrs Creek, Virginia, Bill was the son of Claude Anderson Sarge and Eleanore L. Kirby. In 1964, he enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served our country for twenty years, including two tours in Vietnam as a linguistinterrogator. In November of 1968, he met the love of his life, Janice Sue Hardin, on a blind date while he was stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas. He asked Sue to marry him in March of 1969, and the couple was married on July 12, 1969, at the United Methodist Church in Rotan, Texas. In 1984, he retired from the Navy as a Chief Petty Officer, and went to work as a civilian contractor for the Department of Defense. His naval career, and his work with the Department of Defense, took Bill and Sue all over the world, with stops in Virginia, Maryland, Colorado, Texas, Spain, Greece, and Korea. Bill had an ear for languages, and was fluent in Vietnamese and Arabic, and was proficient in German and Spanish. In 1991, Bill graduated from Angelo State University with his Bachelors degree. He followed that in 1995 with a Masters Degree in Business Finance. After his retirement, Bill remained involved with Veterans Organizations, including the Patriot Guard and the VFW. An avid motorcyclist, he rode with the Patriot Guard on several rides. Bill also enjoyed shooting pool, and won 4th place at the National 9Ball Championships in Las Vegas. He had great musical talent, and could play any instrument soon after picking it up for the first time. Bill played the fiddle, accordion, piano, mandolin, and guitar, as well as the Bosuns Whistle.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Claude Sarge and Eleanore Kirby his motherinlaw and his fatherinlaw, Jesse and Delia Hardin and his sisterinlaw, June Hardin.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sue Kirby, of Rotan two daughters, Jessica Kirby of Rotan, and Jara Kirby of San Angelo two brothers, Gary Kirby of Staunton, Virginia, and Pete Kirby of Faulks Run, Virginia one sister, Donnalee Teague Tom of Harrisonburg, Virginia one sisterinlaw, Jackie Freeman of Rotan four grandsons, Josey Galloway of Rotan, George Galloway Samantha of Cisco, Clay Galloway Maria of Rotan, and Brenden Lowe of San Angelo four granddaughters, Joanna Resen of Brooklyn, New York, Katherine Windels of Reno, Nevada, MacKenzie Kirby of San Angelo, and Allie Morse of San Angelo and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation

WeathersbeeRay Funeral Home
111 N. McKinley
Rotan, TX  79546
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
7:008:00 p.m.

Service

Funeral Service

WeathersbeeRay Funeral Home Chapel
111 N. McKinley
Rotan, TX  79546
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
4:00 p.m.

Cemetery

Cottonwood Flats Cemetery
CR 1105 NW of Hobbs
Hobbs, TX  79546