Obituary of James Norman Kirk

Of London and formerly of Toronto passed away peacefully at home Thursday, September 20th, 2012 in his 98th year. Beloved husband of the late Evelyn Kirk and dear father of Dr. James Kirk (Rose) of Ingersoll and Lynn Kirk of London. Loving grandfather of Sean Kirk (Julie) of Newcastle, Marla Stewart (Richard) of Ingersoll, Brendan Kirk and Jacob Kirk of London. Step Grandfather of Ted Glass, Mary Roy, Raymond Roy and Mallory Patlan. Great Grandfather to Bryanna, Makayla, Taya, Sarah, Jadyn and Ryan. Loving uncle to Drena Harvey (Leo) of Strathroy, Great Uncle of Daniel Gibbons (Emily) of Winnipeg. Norm was born in Toronto in 1915, shortly after his parents arrival by boat from Belfast, Ireland. Norm enjoyed decades of employment at Maple Leaf Foods (formerly Canada Packers Ltd.) in Toronto where he managed the worker safety programs at all plants across Canada and the United States. He was also very active in the Industrial Accident Prevention Association. As well as being very athletic himself, Norm was a lover of sports, great fan of the Maple Leafs and the Blue Jays and enjoyed following the games up until his death. He also loved horse racing and his wishes were for the tracks in Southwestern Ontario to remain open. A memorial service will be conducted at the WESTVIEW FUNERAL CHAPEL, 709 Wonderland Road North, on Sunday, September 30th, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. with visitation one hour prior. In lieu of flowers, donations could be sent to the SARI Therapeutic Riding Program (www.sari.ca).