George Kirkpatrick

  George Kirkpatrick, 87, of Weatherford, Texas went to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, April 6, 2019.

  George was born February 21, 1932, in Marshalltown, Iowa. He and his parents, Lester Charles and Eula Maxine Kirkpatrick, who were in the restaurant business, moved to Beaumont, Texas in 1948 where he met Shirley Jenkins. George and Shirley were married in 1950 and they eventually moved to Arlington, Texas where they raised their three children. George went to work for General Motors when the Arlington plant first opened in 1954 and he retired from there 30 years later. George and Shirley soon moved to Granbury to live out their retirement on the lake where they enjoyed boating, working in the yard, RVing with the Good Sam Club, and playing cards on any night of the week they wanted. They moved to Weatherford in 2004 when Shirley began progressing further into her Alzheimer’s disease.

  George had a wonderful sense of humor, enjoyed telling jokes, playing cards with old friends and just talking. He loved Facebook and checked it daily for family posts and pictures. He had a terrific memory and even up until his last days, he was able to share details about his life. George loved music and often whistled as he worked around the house. He was hardworking and was usually working on a project from building a boat dock, adding a room to the house, putting in sidewalks, or building a rock wall.

  George, affectionately called “Rick” by his wife, Shirley, was very loving and demonstrated his love for her in the deepest way. He would leave little love notes for her every day before he headed off to work and he could rarely walk past her without goosing her. In 2006, Shirley was moved to a nursing home where George stayed by her side 14 hours a day. He was there to get her out of bed early in the morning and then he would tuck her into bed every night just before he left. “Rick” and Shirley were married for over 59 years when she passed away on April 7, 2010.

  Although George was clearly a Texan just due to the fact that he had lived here so many years, he still loved his roots and tried to connect with people from Marshalltown, Iowa. He eventually joined Classmates and set it up to receive alerts if anyone joined from Marshalltown. George and Myrna Schaper met in 2014. Not only was she from his hometown, but she was also the same age and had lost her spouse to a lengthy illness. They talked on the phone quite a bit and eventually Myrna moved to Weatherford. They enjoyed each other’s company so much and decided to get married in 2015. They were able to share these last few years together, reminiscing over stories about Marshalltown and even made a few trips back home. They loved each other and as each one needed, George and Myrna cared for the other through sickness and in health. George was at home under hospice care and surrounded by his family when he passed away.

  George was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Shirley Kirkpatrick, and his parents.

  Survivors include his wife, Myrna; daughters, Linda Rogers (and Monty) of Weatherford and Sandra Kirkpatrick of Weatherford; son, Richard Kirkpatrick (and Cheryl) of Spring; grandchildren, Tammy Unangst (and Richard), Tiffani Roland (and Keith), Nathan Flowers, Raymond Flowers, Justin Flowers, Heather (and James) Cantu, Jason Bratcher, Cody (and Frances) Kirkpatrick and Kady Kirkpatrick, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

  Visitation is at 1:00 p.m., on Tuesday, April 9th, at Galbreaith Pickard in Weatherford, Texas. The funeral service will follow immediately after at 2:00 p.m., in the Galbreaith Pickard Funeral Chapel. Interment will be held at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, Memory Gardens west of Weatherford.