Bill Kirkeminde, 91, died Sunday, October 11, 2015 in Stratford, TXGraveside Services will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, October 18, 2015 at theChanning Cemetery, Channing, TX.Bill Kirkeminde was born in the Flint Hills of Kansas in 1924. As a young man, he worked as a cowboy on the Matador Ranch where he developed a life-long love for the High Plains. During WWII, Bill served as a navigator-bombardier with the Army Air Corps, flying 53 missions over Italy and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross among other medals. He attended Kansas State University School of Veterinary Medicine on the GI Bill, earning his DVM degree in 1950. Bill practiced veterinary medicine, large and small animal, for thirty-some years in Crossville, Tennessee. He and his beloved Patricia made many lasting friendships in Tennessee while raising their four children. Bill was a loving father - his children cherish their memories of going on vet calls in the country with him, listening to his bedtime stories and guitar-playing, and exploring the rivers and woods on canoeing, fishing, hunting and arrowhead expeditions. Bill was also a talented Western sculptor and artist. In 1984 Bill and Patricia retired to Channing in the Texas Panhandle where they made many new friends and enjoyed an involved project of restoring the XIT Payhouse, which was subsequently placed on the National Historic Registry. Bill was preceded in death by his wife Patricia, and by his brothers Gordon Miller, Thomas W. Kirkeminde, and Richard J. Kirkeminde. He is survived by his brother James E. Kirkeminde; sister-in-law Jane Kirkeminde; children Shirley Barclay, Katherine (husband Dorsey) Bass, Paul Kirkeminde, Kirk (wife Rose) Kirkeminde; grandchildren Justin Oliver, Patricia Bass, Martha Bass, and Dorsey Bass; and by Randy Hooks, long-time friend who looked out for Bill on a daily basis during his last year of life. A special Thank You to the staff at Coldwater Manor in Stratford for all the wonderful care.In Leu of Flowers the family requests Memorials to:Bread of Life Rescue Mission, PO Box 1414, 281 West Fourth Street, Crossville, TN 38557or to a favorite charity. Graveside Service Channing Cemetery Sunday, October 18, 2015 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM 400 Pennsylvania Channing, Texas Directions