Spreading the Ashes

On Saturday, October 12, a small group of friends and family gathered on the shores of Gastineau Channel to spread Mike's ashes, as he had requested. It was a solemn occasion with bits of humor (as Mike would have surely wanted).

 Ross Soboleff spoke about Mike's friendship with his family, drummed, and sang.

Some Childhood Photos

Little baby Mike, with Ernest (in white) and David.

David, Mike, and Ernest

Mike's the little one with the funny smile and sticking out ears.

Mike told me this was a Jewish youth group.  

Mike's oldest brother David is on the far left, Mike is the smallest boy, front and center, and Mike's middle brother Ernest is the boy with glasses standing next to Mike

Portrait of Mike and his brothers.  Mike told me the suit he was wearing in this
portrait had been his oldest brother David's, and that he wanted to wear it for the
portrait because he idolized David.

A Few Remembrances from the Class of 1965

From Arlene (Weisenberg) Crumrine: "I ran into him at the airport several years ago and he remembered me by name.  Blew my mind."  

From Peter Hildre:  (Pete was the engineer in charge of the 2004 street reconstruction project in Mike's neighborhood.)  "When we began working with the Upper Evergreen Avenue street reconstruction project in 2004, Mike requested that I meet with him at his home located on this street. He told me he knew all about surveying as he worked in that field in his younger years and wanted to be assured we weren’t going to screw things up.  I’m not a surveyor, but I was able to convince Mike our crew was quite good at this profession and that I would report back to him as the project proceeded.  We had a nice and long discussion.  I didn’t have him as a teacher, but I could see what it must have been like.  He became one of our best supporters during the course of the project.  I’ll miss him."

From Linda (Lehman) Lucero:  "Mr. Kirk did his best to teach me algebra.  One day I was not paying attention and he threw a piece of chalk at me, which embarrassed me and made me mad.  Promptly, I went home and made a voodoo doll, put a small heart on it and stuck pins into the heart.  Early the next morning I put the voodoo doll on his classroom door.  Unfortunately, I made the voodoo doll out of  the same material I had made a dress and wore to school.  Clever girl I was!  Mr. Kirk never confronted me nor did he turn me in.  Mr. Kirk also attended my wedding and sent me a gift.  I have always had such warm memories of Mr. Kirk.  He made every effort to educate me, and keep me focused.  It was in my adulthood that I was able to truly appreciate him and understand that he really cared.  [After hearing he was very ill...] I wrote to Mr. Kirk to tell him this story, and tell him how much I appreciated him.  Unfortunately, I mailed it the morning he passed.  It was returned to me.  I was so sad that I never told him how much he influenced me and how I appreciated him."

From Diane (Dabney) Parham:  "I was hoping that he would still be around for our 50th. Sorry to hear about his passing, but hope that he knew how much an impression he made on his students. I had a similar memory to Linda's, only mine was getting a chalkboard eraser thrown at me! Good thing I could duck fast."

From Maxine (Paddock) Richert:  "Whenever I went to Foodland on a Saturday morning, Mike Kirk was usually there talking to folks (former students and their parents) in the aisles. It reminded me of the time my parents and siblings hiked out to scope out the future Herbert and Eagle River bridges which my father's construction company would build the next summer.  Rev. Walter Soboleff and his good friend Mike Kirk were along. Mike proceeded to talk my mom's head off which prompted my 9-year-old sister Anna to say "remember Mom, you're married to Daddy."

From Gail (Parke) Roust:  "I'll always remember Mike as a guy of exceptionally quick-wittedness and as a terrific teacher who entertained us with his endless silly little jokes.  And he never failed to ask, "tell me exactly what it is you don't understand," in response to anyone who shrugged and said, "I just don't get it..." to a several-step algebra problem he'd just explained on the blackboard.  Drove some nuts, but it generally worked!  He'd patiently go through whatever was on the blackboard, step by step until he hit that student's brick wall.  If his re-explanation didn't take, someone would be with him after school that day!  We can much appreciate Mike for helping us end up as a pretty smart Class of '65. And I don't think I ever saw another teacher who could so speedily move his motor legs to go after a misbehaver in the hallway.  Mike was also a hunting buddy of my dad's (bet several of you didn't know he was a hunter)--and always a friendly neighbor.  Whenever he came home, he greeted us neighborhood kids playing near his very long stairway to "the crow's nest" house--high above the one he more recently occupied, also on Evergreen Avenue.  He later moved to the old Berggren house down at street level a few lots away."

Celebration of Life - Sunday, October 13

The Celebration of Life for Mike Kirk will be held 

at the Juneau Arts & Culture Center (JACC) on 

Sunday, October 13, at 2:00 pm.

Bring a memory to share, a photo to display, or just come hear the stories of others. Contributions of finger food for the refreshments table will be appreciated.

If you have a memory or photos you would like published on this blog, please email to: 

Shana Crondahl at crondahlwilson@gci.net 

Mike, on the stairs to his house

Who Keeps the Memories?

Who keeps the memories when we are gone?

The photos?  The letters?
The secrets...
If there are no descendants.

If there are descendants
we will be remembered
for a while
then forgotten with the ages.

We don't remember the long ago because there are too few artifacts.
Our descendants, if we have them, won't remember today because there are too many artifacts.

Last night, these thoughts made me cry.

Today, I have an answer that makes me laugh - 

Google will keep them!

Shana Crondahl

Photos of Mike

Last summer when Mike's friend, Jan Tiura was visiting from California, she took some beautiful photos of Mike. She has offered to make digital files available to friends and family who are interested. You can contact her directly at jan@phototiura.com if you are interested. I have included one of the photos here for you to see.

Something Old and Something New

There are some wonderful old family photos that Mike's niece, Lisa Tansey, has posted from a trip to Germany with her father, David (Mike's brother).

Trip to Germany

 Also, there was a very nice news report on Mike on KTOO radio this morning. You can read it here.

KTOO News

Welcome Back, Mike!

Mike arrived back in Juneau about 1:00 pm today. They were diverted to Sitka for a couple of hours because of fog in Juneau but they finally made it and now we have sun.

He is in Blueberry House, Room 9103, at Wildflower Court. He does not yet have a phone in his room but there is a cordless phone that can be taken to his room for calls. That number is 463-8701. I am sure he would like visitors but for the first few days it would probably be a good idea to call first so that he doesn't get too many at once.

Coming Home

This is probably the last blog post I will do until after Mike is back in Juneau. He will be flying out Monday morning at about 9:00 and arrive back in Juneau at noon or shortly before. The air ambulance service will arrange for ground transport on both ends.

Here is an old photo of Mike I just received from Jan Tiura.

A Room in Juneau!

A room will be available for Mike at Wildflower Court in Juneau as of July 22 so we will be bringing him home by medivac then. In the event that a room becomes available before then at the Pioneers Home, he will go directly there. In any case, his ultimate goal is the Pioneers Home.

The good news is July 22 is the date certain for him to return to Juneau.

Mike wanted me to add to the blog: "Hello darlings! Thank you all for the very kind wishes. Rather than answering you individually, know that you are all in my heart. I am grateful for all your well wishes."

Barbara Guertin Nielsen took this picture today, showing Mike standing outside in the sunshine. I hope he takes advantage of getting as much sun as he can before he gets back to rainy Juneau!

Thursday, June 13

Today Mike had a visit from another former student, Barbara Guertin Nielsen. Forty-seven years late, she got him to sign her 1966 yearbook, the one that was dedicated to him. She sent this delightful picture as proof. It's good to see him having such a good laugh over it.

Yesterday Mike said he had walked with the walker but today his physical therapy had not gone so well.  He was pleased, however, that he has successfully used the commode twice.

One of the things Mike told me about the ad he had placed in the Totem (the one included in Sunday's newspaper ad) was that he had been ordered not to place any more ads in the Totem -- not because they had taken offense at his "Men of Distinction" statement but because his placing an ad would put pressure on other teachers to pay for future ads! Always the trouble-maker.

Friday, June 7

The ad for Mike is all set to run in Sunday's Juneau Empire in the front section. Here is a copy for all to enjoy. Please do not mention this ad to Mike if you see him or talk to him. I intend to express mail a copy of the paper to him first thing Monday morning and want him to be surprised when he sees it. Here is an advance copy for you to enjoy. Thanks to Ken Moss for the original idea and wording, Phil Smith for the layout, Virginia Breeze for the fine editing, and to all who generously contributed to paying for the ad.

Mike continues to be pleased with his recent progress in physical therapy. Yesterday he walked the distance of the parallel bars four times. It was only about a week ago that he accomplished walking the entire length only once. I asked if he goes to the dining room for any of his meals. He said he goes there for breakfast every morning and has three charming ladies as his tablemates.

Saturday, June 1

Yesterday when I talked to Mike he was in a great mood because he had had a breakthrough in his physical therapy. Last week he had felt himself slipping further behind but yesterday he had done something he had not been able to do before. He walked the entire length of the parallel bars and was so happy about it.

This morning he called and said that for the first time since he got there, he has slept through the night for two consecutive nights without major pain. 

Since others have been sharing photos, I thought I would share one of our favorites. When I first came to town in 1963, Mike's vehicle was an old WWII personnel carrier, affectionately known as "The Beast".  There was none other like it in town. Jay had taken a photo of him sitting on it and I used this photo to make him a card for his 80th birthday.

Those of you who have ever ridden with Mike, whether in the "Beast" or one of his subsequent vehicles, know that he can't drive without using his horn as a warning to other drivers within a half block. Thus the poem we wrote to go along with the photo.

You've traveled far in 80 years,

Applied the bakes and shifted gears.

Sat up high for all to see, 

And used your horn most liberally.

Mike is now on the active list for the Pioneers Home. There are no rooms currently available but he is at the top of list for when a man's room at the appropriate level of care becomes available. He is also on the waiting list for a room at Wildflower court. He is eager to get back to Juneau. 

Thursday, May 30

Today has been a busy day tracking down the documents to submit to the Pioneers' Home office to move Mike from the inactive list to the active list for admission to the Pioneers' Home. Now that's done and he's officially on the list. I was told he would be pretty high on the list but there is no room currently available. It all depends on when that happens.

In the meantime, I have also contacted Wildflower Court and found they have a fairly long waiting list and also require some documentation. I have provided the same documents required by the Pioneers Home in hopes that is all they need. The person who handles that is out this week so I will contact her next week to see if they need anything else. When a room becomes available in either place, we will be ready to contact the medivac company.

In the meantime, I got another great portrait of Mike from Louise Champagne. She took this photo in the early 1990s at her home on North Douglas.

Wednesday, May 29

The big news today is that Mike has decided he does not want to wait to come back to Juneau until he is able to fly commercially. That means he will come back by paid Medivac as soon as it can be arranged and there is a room available at the Juneau Pioneers Home. Heather is getting quotes from Medivac flight companies and I have begun the process of getting him changed from the inactive waiting list to the active waiting list at the Juneau home. We got great advice from Peter Jurasz, Mike's investment counselor: "Medical services are totally negotiable, especially when you are willing to pay cash and there is no insurance reimbursement." I think we are finding that is true.

We still have not gotten the results of the biopsies. I just checked with the Nurse Manager at Park West and she will follow up (again) with Harborview Hospital.

Meanwhile, the idea to honor Mike with an ad in the Juneau Empire is taking form. Ken Moss and Virginia Breeze have come up with some good ideas and Phil Smith has agreed to do the layout. He is traveling from now until June 8 but will be able to put something together quickly after that, especially with the ideas from others. All those who have volunteered to help pay for the ad can send checks to me:

Judy Crondahl
800 F Street, A-4
Juneau, AK 99801

By the time Phil has the ad ready to go, we will know how much money we have and can place an appropriate-sized ad. 

Jan Tiura, one of Mike's many friends, emailed me another good photo of Mike. It was taken a couple of years ago when Jan was in Juneau and they had dinner at the Twisted Fish with Nancy Weaver. Thanks, Jan.

Tuesday, May 28

I must apologize for not having posted over the weekend. There hasn't been a lot to report and, after a very cold and miserable spring, we have had glorious weather over the weekend so I have been spending as little time inside and at the computer as possible.

We still have not heard the results of the biopsies of Mike's bladder and prostate that were done on Thursday. Heather hopes to be talking to the medical staff at Park West today and learn more about that. I called Harborview Hospital this morning but had absolutely no luck there.

Mark Regan visited Mike over the weekend. Mike has physical therapy exercises listed on a white board in his room that he can do by himself any time of the day. They are:

1. Ankle pumps
2.  Buttock squeezes
3.  Heel slides
4.  Half snow angels ( leg)
5. Partial leg kicks


Go Mike!


He says he continues to get a lot of visitors. Brenda Krauss and her son, Teddy, visited yesterday. We both agreed that he is very lucky to have so many goof friends that even 1,000 miles from home he does not lack for company.


This morning when I talked to him, he was sounding discouraged about his lack of progress. He feels he is slipping back rather than progressing. He is not sure whether it is is age or just a general lack of energy. (He will be 90 on August 6).

Phil Smith included a photo of Mike from an Evergreen Avenue block party in an email this weekend. I'm including it here for all who were not on the email distribution.

Also over the weekend, Ken Moss suggested that his many and varied friends should honor him as "friend , provocateur, teacher, activist, citizen" with an ad in the paper. I think he would really enjoy this. Many people have pledged to help pay. If anyone is interested in composing this ad, I would be happy to coordinate collecting the money and getting it placed in the paper.


In the meantime, continue to visit him at Park West if you are in the Seattle area, and sending him greetings in care of

Park West Care Center
1703 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116

The central number for Park West is 206-937-9750. 

Saturday, May 25

I just received a long email from Lynn Burlingame, who visited Mike yesterday. He is a former student and wrote a nice long message so I am copying it in full here. He has included a very short video of Mike in two different formats that you can either click on or copy into your browser to get greetings from Mike directly.  Enjoy!

I visited this afternoon.  My wife was mystified when I put on my old Xtratufs for the visit, but the Juneau kids will know why I did it – I had to be in proper uniform!  Mike got a kick out of it which was the whole point.

He was in good spirits and we had a lively conversation.  In case any of you are wondering, he has all of his marbles.  At one point we were talking about Black Mac, the JDHS principal back in the 60’s.  I referred to him as “Harold MacMillan” and he corrected me by saying, “George MacMillian, Harold was the British Prime Minister”.  He then gave me a grin and pointed at his temple and said, “Hey, how am I doing”?  It was pretty funny.

He says that the facility is first rate and that they are taking good care of him.  I shot a quick video and uploaded it to my temporary web folder.  Here it is in WMV and Apple MOV format.  I am new to the iPhone and managed to convert the file to WMV and flip it 90 degrees, but Apple users may have to look at it sideways.  These files are huge (especially the MOV one) , so give them a while to download:

http://www.n7cfo.com/temp/MikeKirk.wmv

http://www.n7cfo.com/temp/MikeKirk.MOV  

He had stories to tell – the thing about being stuck in a storage closet in Harborview Medical Center was not a joke.  He was in a storage room and other than a bed had no amenities, not even a call button.  He says that he irritated his neighbors by having to holler for help when he needed assistance.

By way of background, he told me that he fell in the kitchen in March and broke his hip.  He was medevac’d to Seattle the following day.  They have repaired his hip and he is in physical therapy to gain strength so he can walk.  The problem last week was caused by a broken blood vessel in his bladder that caused blood to show up in his urine.  It sounds like it was easily fixed, so fortunately he did not have to spend much time in the hospital.

The nursing home was very pleasant.  I walked in on a nursing and PT session, and he asked me to wait outside until they were done.  I took the opportunity to look the place over and was impressed – the people were friendly, the facility was spotlessly clean and the patients all appeared happy and well cared for.

Before I left I asked if he needed any errands run, purchases made, etc., and he told me that he did not, but would call me if something comes up.  I am not sure who else lives in the Seattle area (I am in Bellevue) but we may want to line up some ground support for him when he gets out of there and returns to Juneau.  If anybody lives in the area and is willing to help out, please email me at n7cfo@n7cfo.com .

Saturday, May 20

First of all, Mike wanted to add to his 70th birthday greetings to the Class of 1961. He said he forgot to address them as "Darlings"!

When I talked to Mike yesterday, he was very pleased to have gotten phone calls from two cousins who live in LA. I had been trying to contact them for a week and finally got through. He also got a call from Rob Crosby from Maine, a fellow teacher from the 1970s. Mike asked him about Rick Pastega who also taught at JDHS in the 60s. If anyone has a way of contacting Rick and letting him know of this blog, please do so, or ask Rick to email me.

Mike also had a visit from Jim Barron. Jim took the following picture and he certainly looks like he is enjoying Jim's visit. This was after having a visit from the long-term care insurance reps for an hour and a half so I'm sure Jim's visit was a great tonic.

He's getting his physical therapy every day which consists of various exercises and walking between the parallel bars -- about a dozen steps. He feels insecure walking with a walker. His balance is not good and he's afraid of falling again.