Bertha May Stauffer Kirk, 89, of Warsaw, passed away at 10:38 a.m. Feb. 4, 2019, in Hospice Home in Fort Wayne.
She was born April 27, 1929, in East Liverpool, Ohio, to Charles E. “Bud “and Gladys M. Hancock Sainer.
She graduated East Liverpool High School in 1947 and the Liverpool City Hospital Nursing School in 1950 as a registered nurse.
Bertha was united in marriage to Joseph N. Stauffer in Lafayette on April 24, 1953, then to Howard Leroy “Roy” Kirk on Aug. 15, 1998, in Ottumwa, Iowa. Both Joseph and Roy preceded her.
A registered nurse for 50 years, she was the former director of nursing at Murphy Medical Center, Warsaw, also serving as an office nurse for Dr. Dormire, an industrial nurse for Clausing Inc., Warsaw, and then a nurse for Kosciusko Community Hospital.
She attended Walnut Creek United Methodist Church, Warsaw, and was a lifetime member of the American Nursing Association.
Bertha was known for her fondness of playing with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her visits with her Mobile Meals volunteers and reading the Times-Union newspaper. Furthermore, she was an avid college football fan, with her favorite teams being Notre Dame, Iowa and Purdue. She was devoted to watching Jimmy Swaggart’s church service on TV.
Survivors include her daughter, Jo Ann (spouse Ronald) Cotton of Warsaw; and grandsons, Christopher A. (spouse Kerri) Cotton of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Michael D. (spouse Andrea) Cotton of Fort Wayne; great-grandchildren: Sophia and Leah Cotton of Pittsburgh and Nathan and Julia Cotton of Fort Wayne; and a niece, Carol (spouse Mike) Blackford of Warsaw, who was her faithful caregiver.
In addition, to her husbands, Bertha was preceded by a brother, Charles “Chuck” Sainer of Sallisaw, Okla.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 8, in McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel, Warsaw. Pastor Greg Hiatt of Walnut Creek United Methodist Church will officiate the service.
Visitation with the family will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday in the funeral chapel.
Interment services will be private.
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Memorials to Walnut Creek United Methodist Church, 2033 S. 150 W. Warsaw, IN 46580; or Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home, 5910 Homestead Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46814.
