Kris Kirby 

Where do I begin.  Kirbs was a best friend and roommate of mine through some of the most memorable times of my life.  Why is life so fleeting?  Why is he gone before I could say goodbye?  Why does the Lord allow some of the best people I’ve ever met leave early?  Doesn’t He know we need more people like Kris in this world?

Personal conviction.  Kris Kirby had loads of it.  I’ve never met anyone with a better ability to make a decision for himself and stick with it.  Commit to it.  He was just so brutally honest to himself and would never give himself an excuse to fail / give-up / change course.  If Kris said he was going to do something, he would.  Period.

Crash diet?  Still remember Kris explaining to me how he was saving money by dieting only on cans of tuna and peanut butter.  He did this for months if I remember right.  I hate the smell of tuna.

Catch a muskellunge?

Kirbs would be out on the water 3-4am before class trying any sort of lure, technique, lake he could try.  The only thing that could deter Kris from his pursuit of a monster trophy fish?  Minnesota winters.  For some months anyways.

We transitioned to snowboarding, both learning this passion together.  Our first time was on demo snowboards at Wild Mountain.  This was trying to learn how to ride on the iciest slopes you could imagine.  We both had concussions that first day.  Neither of us could get out of bed that next morning from whiplash neck.  Couldn’t have been more than a week later and Kris was telling me of a deal he found to get snowboards, boots, bindings all for some $250.  We both got our boards so that we could ride whenever and wherever we wanted.

What we found was that wherever we wanted was out West.  And these were my best times with Kris.  Big Sky and all over Colorado.  Deepest, steepest snow we could find.  And this is how we stayed connected after graduation.  Kris moved to Durango and I went out to board with him.  Later I moved to Colorado Springs and Kris came out to board with me.  Lord do I wish we could have another trip together!

Once I lost Kris out at Breckenridge.  Waited at the bottom of the hill, waited at the top of hill.  No Kris.  Retraced our last ride.  No Kris.  Finally found him down at medic station.  Kris was smiling ear-to-ear because he had a story to tell about doing one of his favorite things.  Just this time equipment failure caused his binding to pop out midair on a jump.  A mangled and swollen knee was a small price.

One thing about boarding together is you have a lot of time to talk while riding back up the mountain.  That’s when you really get to know a person.  What they are made of.  What they believe.

Kris believed in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He was personally convicted to following Him.  To be pure.  I wish I had more time to spend with him.  Why does God take away some of the best people I know too early?  I don’t know, never will.  Maybe it’s not even my right to know.

But I do know I will see him again someday.  Together with our Lord.

Kris, I loved you like a brother.  I miss you terribly.

Peter Engblom (a.k.a. “Engie”)

Kris was an incredible blend of so many talents and strengths.  A loving father…a cherished friend…a brilliant business owner.  I think for many of us we’d hope to look in the mirror each day and see Kris – in so many ways he was the reflection of a man you’d want to be.  He was kind, supportive, honest, intelligent, fun, outgoing, adventurous… 

But where do we go from here…how do the memories live on and how do they inspire us?  Amidst the shock, my mind races…Kris brought calm, honesty, and leadership…he worked tirelessly to provide for his family – they meant everything to him. 

As friends we are called to support his family, to support each other, and to let his life continue to inspire how we live ours.  It’s hard to put together coherent sentences.  Countless people loved Kris and countless people will miss him.  The loss of Kris brings pause – a jolt to the core on what really matters in life.  Kirby kids – your dad was awesome!  He was a blessing to all!  It’s unlikely that any of us can relate to what you are feeling right now but those feelings are real and legit.  Know that there is a community of dudes that loved your dad very much and know that we love you.  We want to support you however and as best we can.  You have full freedom to be bold…speak your needs…make your requests known.  We want to help even if we don’t know how. 

Our daily prayers remain with you and for you!  May God show His face and mercy…may He generously poor out moments of peace.  May you find little moments of comfort with each other AND with those around you.  Remember that your dad loves you infinitely, he made the world a better place and much like he shaped you – he shaped so many others who were blessed with the chance to know him.  His life will forever change me and will bring a renewed focus to what matters most in life.  His legacy will live on as his story is shared with countless other people and lives will continue to change because of the man Kris was. 

Lord, we thank you for our time with him.  We pray that you keep him close in our hearts and that the reminders are ever present.  We also ask that you take him to all the best fishing spots in heaven and that he gets to show the disciples how to really fish.  Lord, while this makes no sense – we ask that you help us to somehow trust.  We need your love. 

We miss you good buddy.

- Josh Gerber

- Trent Pearson

I met Kris in the fall of 1995 on the second story of Edgren Hall at Bethel College in Mark Wauterlek’s room.  Mark and Kris were both hockey players from the Chicago land area and were going to play together back home.  Kris had stopped over to hang out with Mark and play some Sega Genesis.  It was early fall but Kris was already wearing a hockey jersey.  My first impression was that Kris was “all in” on his devotion to hockey.  My friendship with Mark and Kris grew over the course of my freshman year and the three of us along with Pete, Rob, and Brad lived in a townhouse on campus together the next year.  It was a mix of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois guys.  Early on in the year an emphasis was placed on health and that meant buying a very expensive juicer from Dayton’s.  Kris lead the charge to better health through juicing every kind of vegetable and fruit we could find and drinking it.  Kris was “all in” on juicing and whatever it took to be healthy.  Eventually the juicing fad faded and it was put in the closet only to be discovered at the end of the year covered in mold.  Another passion that developed was for musky fishing.  Kris’s room became lined with large musky lures.  Bait casting rods and large tackle boxes filled his room.  One crisp fall morning on Lake Johana Mark, Kris, and I were casting toward the shore of Northwestern College when a large Tiger Musky hit.  Kirbs set the hook and was able to land it.  It was a glorious morning.  Kirbs was “all in” on musky fishing.  The next year Kris and I were direct roommates at the Lexington apartments off campus.  Kris had been a small group bible study leader for underclassman and this year (his senior year) he was the leader of leaders.  In his zeal for God’s word and his commitment to Christ, Kirbs announced that he was attempting to memorize all of the New Testament and hoped to complete it at some point in his life. I don’t know if he did finish memorizing all of the New Testament but Kirbs was “all in” on his commitment and love for Christ.  When I think about Kris’s character and personality he was a natural leader and friend.  Kris had a high degree of empathy for others.  He intentionally pursued friendships with other students who did not have as many friends and made them feel loved.  He was loyal to those friends and I am thankful that he pursued a friendship with me.  When it came to his friends Kris was “all in”.

- Ted Kemen