Teresa and I were sad to learn of Joe's passing. He and Gretchen were great friends of my parents in Shafter, having many happy occasions and travels as members of that jolly group dubbed the "Flat Tire Club." The Kirks were a great support when they hosted several of my in-laws at the time of our wedding (and putting several of them on bicycles for the Bakersfield St. Patrick's Day parade) and again when my mother died. Proud of his Irish heritage, Joe made several a number of visits over the years to the West of Ireland, celebrating significant wedding anniversaries and ticking off his bucket list participation in a St. Patrick's Day parade in his ancestral country. We last saw him just a few short years ago when he, Gretchen, and several family members came to Limerick for a celebration of his son's wedding anniversary. Joe will be missed, but the memories of him will live on always. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam (May he rest in peace).
Scott Larson & Teresa Fahey