TSGT
US AIR FORCE
KOREA VIETNAM
Interred August 23, 2018
Technical Sergeant Donald Martin Kirby, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), 89, of Blue Springs, Missouri, passed away on August 16, 2018, at Autumn Leaves in Lee's Summit, Missouri, with his daughters and granddaughter by his side.
Don was born on August 23, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri, to the late Joy and Estella (Bly) Kirby. He was predeceased by his sister, Marlene Rogers, of Alvarado Texas, his brother, Nathan Kirby, of Tijeras, New Mexico, his wife, Flossie "Kathryn" (Wilson) Kirby, of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and his second wife Lillian (Henderson) Kirby, of Blue Springs, Missouri.
At age 18, Don joined the Merchant Marines and received training from the Coast Guard in San Francisco. A year later, in 1947, he began serving in the Oklahoma National Guard and concurrently the Army National Guard. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 45th Infantry Division, Company A, 120th Combat Engineer Battalion. He served in the Korean War and received the Purple Heart, a Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Occupation Medal (Japan), the Korean Service Medal with Bonze Campaign Star, a UN Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. He was stationed in Japan before he was discharged from the Army in 1952.
He enjoyed his time in the service and decided to re-enlist, but this time with the U.S. Air Force. He was sent to radar training school and received instruction and worked with bombing, navigational and electronic systems, and missile electronics.
He met Flossie "Kathryn" Wilson while stationed in Arkansas, and they married in 1957. They traveled the world while he was in the Air Force. Overseas they were stationed in England and Germany. Don then served in the Vietnam War. He retired from the Air Force in 1975, after having earned the Air Force Good Conduct Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Longevity Service Award with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and an Air Force Expeditionary Medal, among other medals.
After he retired, Don moved with his wife and their girls to Excelsior Springs, Missouri. He worked at Allied-Signal until he retired in 1994.
He lost Kathryn in 2000, after 43 years of marriage. By 2003, he found love again, having met Lillian Bayless while at church. He lost Lillian in 2017.
US AIR FORCE
KOREA VIETNAM
Interred August 23, 2018
Technical Sergeant Donald Martin Kirby, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), 89, of Blue Springs, Missouri, passed away on August 16, 2018, at Autumn Leaves in Lee's Summit, Missouri, with his daughters and granddaughter by his side.
Don was born on August 23, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri, to the late Joy and Estella (Bly) Kirby. He was predeceased by his sister, Marlene Rogers, of Alvarado Texas, his brother, Nathan Kirby, of Tijeras, New Mexico, his wife, Flossie "Kathryn" (Wilson) Kirby, of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and his second wife Lillian (Henderson) Kirby, of Blue Springs, Missouri.
At age 18, Don joined the Merchant Marines and received training from the Coast Guard in San Francisco. A year later, in 1947, he began serving in the Oklahoma National Guard and concurrently the Army National Guard. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 45th Infantry Division, Company A, 120th Combat Engineer Battalion. He served in the Korean War and received the Purple Heart, a Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Occupation Medal (Japan), the Korean Service Medal with Bonze Campaign Star, a UN Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. He was stationed in Japan before he was discharged from the Army in 1952.
He enjoyed his time in the service and decided to re-enlist, but this time with the U.S. Air Force. He was sent to radar training school and received instruction and worked with bombing, navigational and electronic systems, and missile electronics.
He met Flossie "Kathryn" Wilson while stationed in Arkansas, and they married in 1957. They traveled the world while he was in the Air Force. Overseas they were stationed in England and Germany. Don then served in the Vietnam War. He retired from the Air Force in 1975, after having earned the Air Force Good Conduct Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Longevity Service Award with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and an Air Force Expeditionary Medal, among other medals.
After he retired, Don moved with his wife and their girls to Excelsior Springs, Missouri. He worked at Allied-Signal until he retired in 1994.
He lost Kathryn in 2000, after 43 years of marriage. By 2003, he found love again, having met Lillian Bayless while at church. He lost Lillian in 2017.
TSGT
US AIR FORCE
KOREA VIETNAM
Interred August 23, 2018
Technical Sergeant Donald Martin Kirby, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), 89, of Blue Springs, Missouri, passed away on August 16, 2018, at Autumn Leaves in Lee's Summit, Missouri, with his daughters and granddaughter by his side.
Don was born on August 23, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri, to the late Joy and Estella (Bly) Kirby. He was predeceased by his sister, Marlene Rogers, of Alvarado Texas, his brother, Nathan Kirby, of Tijeras, New Mexico, his wife, Flossie "Kathryn" (Wilson) Kirby, of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and his second wife Lillian (Henderson) Kirby, of Blue Springs, Missouri.
At age 18, Don joined the Merchant Marines and received training from the Coast Guard in San Francisco. A year later, in 1947, he began serving in the Oklahoma National Guard and concurrently the Army National Guard. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 45th Infantry Division, Company A, 120th Combat Engineer Battalion. He served in the Korean War and received the Purple Heart, a Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Occupation Medal (Japan), the Korean Service Medal with Bonze Campaign Star, a UN Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. He was stationed in Japan before he was discharged from the Army in 1952.
He enjoyed his time in the service and decided to re-enlist, but this time with the U.S. Air Force. He was sent to radar training school and received instruction and worked with bombing, navigational and electronic systems, and missile electronics.
He met Flossie "Kathryn" Wilson while stationed in Arkansas, and they married in 1957. They traveled the world while he was in the Air Force. Overseas they were stationed in England and Germany. Don then served in the Vietnam War. He retired from the Air Force in 1975, after having earned the Air Force Good Conduct Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Longevity Service Award with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and an Air Force Expeditionary Medal, among other medals.
After he retired, Don moved with his wife and their girls to Excelsior Springs, Missouri. He worked at Allied-Signal until he retired in 1994.
He lost Kathryn in 2000, after 43 years of marriage. By 2003, he found love again, having met Lillian Bayless while at church. He lost Lillian in 2017.
US AIR FORCE
KOREA VIETNAM
Interred August 23, 2018
Technical Sergeant Donald Martin Kirby, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), 89, of Blue Springs, Missouri, passed away on August 16, 2018, at Autumn Leaves in Lee's Summit, Missouri, with his daughters and granddaughter by his side.
Don was born on August 23, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri, to the late Joy and Estella (Bly) Kirby. He was predeceased by his sister, Marlene Rogers, of Alvarado Texas, his brother, Nathan Kirby, of Tijeras, New Mexico, his wife, Flossie "Kathryn" (Wilson) Kirby, of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and his second wife Lillian (Henderson) Kirby, of Blue Springs, Missouri.
At age 18, Don joined the Merchant Marines and received training from the Coast Guard in San Francisco. A year later, in 1947, he began serving in the Oklahoma National Guard and concurrently the Army National Guard. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 45th Infantry Division, Company A, 120th Combat Engineer Battalion. He served in the Korean War and received the Purple Heart, a Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Occupation Medal (Japan), the Korean Service Medal with Bonze Campaign Star, a UN Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. He was stationed in Japan before he was discharged from the Army in 1952.
He enjoyed his time in the service and decided to re-enlist, but this time with the U.S. Air Force. He was sent to radar training school and received instruction and worked with bombing, navigational and electronic systems, and missile electronics.
He met Flossie "Kathryn" Wilson while stationed in Arkansas, and they married in 1957. They traveled the world while he was in the Air Force. Overseas they were stationed in England and Germany. Don then served in the Vietnam War. He retired from the Air Force in 1975, after having earned the Air Force Good Conduct Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Longevity Service Award with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and an Air Force Expeditionary Medal, among other medals.
After he retired, Don moved with his wife and their girls to Excelsior Springs, Missouri. He worked at Allied-Signal until he retired in 1994.
He lost Kathryn in 2000, after 43 years of marriage. By 2003, he found love again, having met Lillian Bayless while at church. He lost Lillian in 2017.
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