Carl Knirk, Canon for Planned Giving/Stewardship and Evangelism,
passes away at age 65
As the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia’s stewardship and planned
giving officer for more than 12 years, Carl F. Knirk talked with thousands of
people about life planning, often preaching on Matthew 24:42, “Watch therefore
for you do not know on what day the Lord will come.” On Saturday, May 29, 2010,
he died suddenly at his home in Seattle. He was 65.
Remembered by many as a “gentle giant,” Knirk stood at 6’4” and
often donned a smile that made you smile.
“Carl’s bright, broad smile nicely matched his broad shoulders,”
recalled the Rev. Laurel Johnston, Episcopal Church program officer for
stewardship. “Both carried the joy that comes from recognizing one’s life as an
offering to the one who creates, redeems and sustains us all.”
“If someone could be considered ‘salt of the earth,’ it certainly
was Carl,” reflected the Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, Bishop of Olympia. “I give
thanks for this joyful saint of God who brightened our lives and led us in new
and faithful ways in this church.”
Born July 5, 1944 in Marion, Ohio, Knirk is also remembered as a
man of deep faith.
“His faith was integral to who he was and how he lived his life,”
said the Rt. Rev. Nedi Rivera, who worked closely with Knirk when she was Olympia’s
bishop suffragan. “It was part of his relationship with his family, and it was
essential to his decisions about what he would do with his life.”
Hired by Bishop Vincent Warner in 1998, Knirk was responsible for
developing planned gifts to benefit the diocese and congregations as well as
coordinating the diocesan stewardship, development and evangelism programs,
including the Episcopal Charities Appeal. He recently began a term as president
of the Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) and previously served for
several years as a TENS board member.
“Carl was who he was without pretense,” said TENS executive
director Tom Gossen, who recalled Knirk as a man of integrity who encouraged
people to “consider their faith journey in connection with their journey in
generosity, and how the two are connected.”
In 2005, the Diocese of Olympia partnered with St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church and School in New Orleans to assist them in recovering from
Hurricane Katrina. Knirk was deeply committed to the project, called We Will
Stand With You, and was integral not only to the diocese’s fundraising efforts
but to the people of St. Paul’s and to their larger community. He traveled to
New Orleans on numerous occasions to work with church members and to be a
presence in their lives.
“St. Paul’s [New Orleans] is one of our congregations,” Knirk
reflected after a visit in March 2010. The week before his death, Knirk sent St.
Paul’s a check for $30,000, which fulfilled the $500,000 pledge the Diocese of
Olympia made nearly five years earlier. In recent years he had become a
champion for the recovery and revitalization of the Gulf Coast, and he was saddened
by the recent trauma to Louisiana’s wetlands.
An inveterate traveler, Knirk began a love affair with Australia
in the late1970s when he took part in a teaching exchange program. Melbourne
suburb Bendigo was his home for over a year as he and his family traveled the
country and made many friends, who they planned to visit during his sabbatical scheduled
for February 2011. In recent years, Europe and Mexico also were in the travel
rotation, where Knirk and his beloved wife, Susan, always sought the experience
of wherever they were. They shared a love of the outdoors and hiking, regularly
visiting Glacier National Park, and in the 1980s, he conquered the summit of Mount
Rainier.
Knirk also loved photography and couldn’t live without the
soundtrack to his life—jazz—in all its forms. His son David became an
accomplished saxophone player “mostly by osmosis” from years of exposure to
every jazz legend through the home stereo. Anyone who walked into Knirk’s
office at work or home would hear in the background Bill Evans, Russel McBride
or sometimes even Steely Dan. Poncho Sanchez concerts on New Year’s Eve were a
recent tradition, and the Knirks are lifetime season ticketholders to the
Monterey Jazz Festival, having attended for more than 35 years.
“Blessed to be a blessing to others,” as Johnston said, Knirk
touched the lives of people wherever he went with his sincerity, humor and zest
for life. He also was touched by those who he encountered, often visibly moved
by shared moments of sorrow and joy. At the top of his list of daily blessings
was his family.
“They were the dessert in his life,” said Rivera.
“My dad almost couldn’t get through half an hour around his
granddaughters without getting emotional about them,” reflected his son Chris.
“He loved them more than anything.”
A member of St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle, Knirk served on the
vestry, including terms as treasurer, chair of the development committee, and
as a reader. Knirk also served as summer camp director for Camp Huston in the Diocese
of Olympia from 1975-1977 and was active in the Cursillo movement.
Prior to coming to the Diocese of Olympia, Knirk spent 15 years
with the Washington state affiliate of the American Diabetes Association, where
he was honored as both regional and national Executive Director of the Year. He
received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Marietta College, a master’s
degree in business from Eastern Kentucky University and a human services
certificate from the University of Washington.
Knirk is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years, Susan; their
sons, Christopher (Erin) and David (Laura); and two granddaughters, Avery and
Audrey.
A celebration of Knirk’s life and ministry takes place at 11 a.m.
Saturday, June 12 at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle. A memorial endowment fund to be used to provide scholarships, at the recommendation of
the Bishop, to assist people with the expenses associated with participating in
disaster emergency response mission trips and to attend events and workshops sponsored by TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship). Notes of
condolence may be sent to 10752 Glen Acres Dr. S, Seattle WA 98126.
