CONRAD, Kirk Ian Douglas

September 17, 1985 - April 27, 2020. Kirk Conrad, 34, beloved son of Cathy Campbell Conrad of Bridgewater, and Brian Conrad (Susan and her children Justin, Jennifer) of Garden Lots, died tragically on April 27th, succumbing to injuries sustained while kite-boarding on the Indian Ocean off the coast of Zanzibar. Together with his fiancée, Maud Etienne of Cannes, France, he was on furlough, marking time while the coronavirus pandemic prevented the two of them from returning to their jobs in Khartoum, Sudan. Having grown up on the South Shore, Kirk left home to study aircraft maintenance engineering at Shearwater, followed by work placements in Halifax, Charlottetown, and Calgary. Eventually, his AME skillset and his adventurous spirit led him to Myanmar, Aruba, Uganda, the Domnican Republic of Congo, and then Sudan where he was working on maintaining planes for the United Nations. It was in Sudan that he met Maud friend, soulmate, the love of his life - she, who made this last year the happiest he’d ever known and with whom he was shaping plans for a future together. The thought of being parted from Maud would have tormented Kirk - as would the thought of leaving Jack, his little blue-eyed boy, his "Buddy," his cherished son born to Sarah, and left now to her sturdy care together with her husband, Jack’s stepfather, Gary Newman. Many things brought Kirk pleasure. That he loved travel is obvious. He loved the places he saw; but more than that, he loved the people he met. It is also true that he was a proud Maritimer, faithfully coming home to the loved ones here who awaited his return. All of these people - from his now-agèd Mommer (known to the world as Vivian Campbell, matriarch of the clan), down through three generations (that include his stepfamily Doug, Garrett, and Gillian Johnson) to Jack and "the two Passmore kids" (being young Olivia and Ian; Kirk’s treasured niece and nephew; children of Kirk’s beloved sister, Breagh and her husband, Craig), and everyone inbetween, family and friends, spread throughout Nova Scotia and scattered across the country and around the globe - all of them will treasure his memory and mourn his absence. The threat posed by COVID-19 has shaped the memorial arrangements. Cremation has taken place in Tanzania. Burial during a private ceremony in Hillcrest Cemetery in Lunenburg will take place after the remains have been repatriated. The family are grateful to Mike Zinck of Dana L. Sweeny Funeral Home in Lunenburg, to Global Affairs Canada, and to the Corona Funeral Home in Dar-es-salaam for their kind, professional assistance and for their care of Maud. Those wanting to celebrate Kirk’s life and honour his memory may wish to consider making a donation to Doctors Without Borders/médicins Sans Frontières (MSF) Canada or to a charity of your choice. www.sweenyfuneralhome.ca