Kirk Rhoton Thompson, 78, of South Fork, Colo., passed away peacefully on Jan. 21, 2025, in Highland Village, Texas. Kirk was born in Arizona on April 1, 1946, to June Rhoton Thompson and JW (Dub) Thompson.
The family settled in Carrollton, Texas, where he grew up with his siblings, John, Sharon, and Danny. He loved his family, and they cherished their time together at home where he made some of his most cherished memories. After graduating from RL Turner High School in 1964 and later from the University of Texas at Dallas, he dedicated his life to all things literary, teaching English, and helping students foster a love of reading. The impact he made on his students extended far beyond the classroom.
In 1995, Kirk rekindled a relationship with his high school friend, Michal Berry and they married in 2005. The mountains were calling so they packed up their Texas homes and moved to South Fork, Colo., where they resided in their home on the Rio Grande they called Riversong.
He was known to most as “Papa Kirk”, especially to his grandkids. One of Papa Kirk and Michal’s (“Sita”) greatest joy was sharing Riversong with family and friends. Summers were filled with visitors who gathered in their home, enjoying views from every window — whether facing the Palisade Mountains, overlooking the Rio Grande River, or while sipping coffee on the east porch.
Papa Kirk loved seeing the wonder on others faces when wildlife would come to visit, and he cherished the beautiful sunsets and frequent rainbows. He also loved taking hikes in the mountains with his beloved dogs and stopping to journal his thoughts along the way. For those lucky enough to have been invited to join him on a hike (especially his grandkids), he would share a story or life lesson, made all-the-more special by nature and the surroundings. These were cherished moments for so many of us.
Kirk was preceded in death by his parents, June and JW (Dub) Thompson, his wife, Michal Thompson, his brothers, John Thompson and Danny Thompson.
He is survived by his sister, Sharon Thompson; sister-in-law, Gayle Thompson and family, stepchildren, Sean Stone and wife Kathleen, Shelley Neustupa and husband Brad; his grandchildren, Cameron Neustupa, Cameron Stone, Colby Stone, Caden Stone, and Cody Neustupa, Stevie Qualls and husband Matthew, and he is survived by many lifelong friends.
He was a great Papa Kirk, husband, brother, uncle, stepfather, grandfather, friend, teacher, and writer.
We were all touched and blessed with his poems and writings over the years. Kirk was a prolific writer, journalling nearly every day throughout his life, and as evidenced by the stacks and stacks of notebooks.
We wanted to share a poem he wrote in 2012 to the love of his life, his wife Michal.
Titled, Alive at Sixty-Five and How
Time is a river we can stand in, but never in the same time or river,
As it flows to the sea, to the end,
And we can ride the river till the end,
Enjoying the passing scene without ever knowing where it will end,
Or when,
But in the meantime,
As long as we ride the river together it will be sweet trip indeed.
And we will, together, watch the grandkids grow up
And the kids grow old even as we grow older
And enjoy that too, me and you.
Sita and Papa Kirk, together these last 16 years,
From Tara and Ryan to Riversong, and who knows where,
But again, together,
Celebrating these passing years,
And though you are older, I’m trying to catch up,
Getting closer every year
And definitely looking older than you,
But you always were the beautiful one
And still are.
So, take my hand, and together we will ride the river
To the end.
Sharing
Loving
Living out our lives
Together.
Kirk Out
We will carry our memories of you in our hearts forever. Until we see you again.
