GEORGE VAN KIRK WALDRON

09/10/1941 - 01/22/2024

George Van Kirk Waldron, 82, passed away peacefully in Houston, TX on January 22, 2024.

Kirk was born in California, on September 10, 1941. He was educated at the elite Harvey and Lawrenceville Boarding Schools. He then joined the Air Force and worked as a machinist in California. After finishing his service, Kirk helped his stepmother, Olivia, run her many successful carnivals. There, he perfected his skills with large machinery, maintaining the operation and safety of multiple rides and managing all the staff.

It was in California that Kirk met and married the love of his life, Donna Polites, after which they moved to Houston. While they did not have children naturally, God brought Kristen into their lives in 1981. They welcomed Kristen into their home at age 11 and she quickly became all but their birth child. That bond lasted for the rest of their lives.

Kirk ran his own successful construction companies for over 40 years and remained a critical support to the construction services businesses of others throughout his retirement. Outside of work and family, Kirk had two lifelong loves: all things outdoors and everything Palmer, that is Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church.

His daughter Kristen, her son Chad, and his many friends shared in endless ways his love of the outdoors. He was an avid hunter and fisherman; and he dedicated his life to the conservation of all wildlife through Texas Parks and Wildlife and lifelong active memberships in the Safari Club and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Kirk was born into, baptized at, and became a lifelong member of Palmer Church. He spent his youth serving as an acolyte. It was there that he had his first experience with the church bells, learning how to and then ringing them. He spent the next 60 years serving the needs of Palmer in a range of important volunteer positions that included multiple separate tenures of vestry service, many finance committees, and many cycles of official and ex officio service as Junior Warden. It was in the latter that Kirk combined his love for Palmer with his skills and knowledge of construction and his heart of gold. He became “Mr. Facilities” in the management of a currently nearly 100-year-old Palmer church campus where he also supervised a major expansion in 2001-2005. In that many decades-long capacity, Kirk became not only the knowledge repository and protector of facilities but the cheer leader of members, ministries, and clergy alike whom he harnessed to meet the challenges of Building God’s Kingdom. Kirk took a particular and lifelong interest in Palmer’s bell tower. Ultimately, he mobilized Palmers, led the financing, and directed the installation of a full 8 change-ringing bell system and a nine-bell chime system. Kirk then sponsored and rang for years with the bell ringers who affectionately referred to him as the “Captain of the Bells.”

Kirk is welcomed into heaven by his parents Dr. & Mrs. George Waldron, his loving Uncle Bob, his beautiful and amazing wife Donna, and pets he loved and lost too numerous to name. Surviving Kirk are his loving daughter Kristen Leigh, Kristen’s son Chad Martin, several close family members, and hundreds of friends who all will miss him terribly.

The family wants to thank the medical teams that helped Kirk in his final 6-week journey to the Lord. They are Hermann Memorial Hospital, the Garden Terrace Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Houston Hospice. All were professional and kind to Kirk, but they were also enormously kind and sympathetic to his family at every stage.

Palmer Church will hold a joint celebration of life service at 11 am, March 1, 2024, for both Kirk and Donna, who preceded him in death by 2 years. The service will also be live streamed for those unable to get to the church: https://www.PalmerChurch. org/live. At the completion of the service, their ashes will be placed together in the Palmer Columbarium. This will be followed by a reception at the church. All are welcome. Donations in Kirk’s name should be directed to the Building Fund at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church at 6221 Main St, Houston, TX 77030.