HENNEL, Kirk William
June 8, 1976 - Calgary, Alberta
April 27, 2017 - Calgary, Alberta
Kirk (Kirky) William Hennel was born June 8, 1976, in Calgary to Rose (Fleming) and Lorne Hennel.
He suffered a severe heart attack in March. Sadly, the damage was too great. Though his will to stay here with us was strong, he died, without pain and without suffering, on April 27, 2017.
Kirk leaves behind his heartbroken wife of 14 perfect years Wendy (Gilliland) Hennel and his spitfire of a daughter Zoey, who will forever wear his wide smile.
He will be missed every day by his dad, Lorne Hennel (step-mom, Anne Marie) and his sister Leah (of whom he was so incredibly proud) and his brother-in-law Scott Cruickshank. His loving in-laws Marj and Dwight Gilliland, and Carrie (Brad) Sandstrom. Uncle Kirk will be forever missed by his nephew Hunter and his niece Charlotte. Kirk had many close friendships that he nurtured over the years through school, football, hockey and work. Though they will all remember him in their own way, his loss may be especially felt on Fridays at Brewsters where he had 'meetings' with his brothers at Propak.
Kirk grew up in Calgary, and loved his city, especially Nose Hill Park where he used to go for walks with his mom and later with his daughter Zoey and dog Radio. He was an incredible student and graduated from the U of C in 1998, was the youngest CMA grad in 2000 at 24 years old, and then completed his Masters in Financial Management in 2015. He was a great financial mind, who loved his work.
But more than any of that, Kirk's greatest love was his family. He happily ran Zoey to and from the ice-rink, music lessons and dance studio. He even mastered (OK, attempted) dance hair and make-up. His favourite thing of all was to spend as much time as possible with Zoey, Wendy, friends and family at Buffalo Lake, Alta. He loved ice-fishing (though he never caught one), skating and xc-skiing in the winter, and fishing, wake-boarding, slalom-skiing and surfing in the summer. Perfect days were spent walking along the beach with his family, any time of year, then having a few drinks by the campfire, being sure not to use all the 'good' wood. His newest amour was a '74 Case lawn mower that he lovingly called his tractor. He invested many hours into this beast and somehow transitioned it from being a back-firing environmental hazard into a moderately effective lawn mower.
In lieu of flowers, Kirk's family asks that you remember him by helping out at the local rink, by taking your family on a long wandering walk at Nose Hill Park, by feeding the stray cat you pretend to hate, and by watching a wildlife program with your child; but most importantly - by dropping all your chores for the chance to go for a ski on those rare nights when the water is glass.
Kirk will be laid to rest in Erskine, Alta., so Wendy and Zoey can stop by to talk to him on the way to the cabin. And so he can see the stars every night and the birds each day.
A Celebration of Kirk's Life was at the Calgary Winter Club (4611 14 St NW) on Friday May 5. Condolences may be forwarded through www.mcinnisandholloway.com.
In living memory of Kirk Hennel, a tree
will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Airdrie, 300 TOWERLANE DRIVE, AIRDRIE, AB. Telephone: 403-948-1100