Lowell Stephen Kirk

Lowell Stephen Kirk, known to family and friends as Steve and by the nickname "Guppy," was a lifelong resident of the Ronceverte and Gap Mills area of West Virginia. He was not a public figure in the national sense, with no Wikipedia page or wide media profile, but he was a well known and well liked member of his community, and his death has been reported through the obituary notices that are the primary record of his life.

He was born on April 11, 1968, the son of Robert Lee Kirk, who predeceased him, and Rosalie Kirk. According to his funeral home obituary, he had attended Rhema Christian Center and he worked for the City of Ronceverte as an operator in training at the municipal sewer plant, a job that anchored him in the local community for years. Friends and family remembered him as devoted to WVU sports and recalled him for his warmth and his sense of humour.

His family's tribute describes him as a loving, hardworking and selfless man who devoted his life to the people he loved most, a person who would give the shirt off his back to help someone in need, especially family. Those who knew him spoke of his contagious smile and unforgettable laugh, qualities repeatedly highlighted in the tributes that followed news of his death.

Kirk was married to Margaret Kirk, and the couple had been together for 30 years. He was the father of two daughters, Danielle Kirk and Hailey Harter, and a grandfather to Hailey's daughters, Freya and Keelin Harter. He was also survived by his mother, Rosalie Kirk, his sisters Barbara Lafon and Kristy Kirk, and his brothers Dale Kirk, Jim Kirk and Jerry Hedrick.

Lowell Stephen Kirk died on November 12, 2026, at CAMC Memorial Hospital at the age of 58. No cause of death has been made public in the obituary notices published by his family or the funeral home handling his arrangements, and nothing further has been confirmed in subsequent reporting. His funeral was arranged through Wallace and Wallace Funeral Chapels and Crematory in Ronceverte, with services planned for November 17, 2026, followed by burial in Gap Mills.