Dr. Howard Kirk Downey (Kirk) passed away April 3 at age 80 after a heroic battle with vascular dementia.

Born on October 26, 1942, Kirk grew up in Salina, KS where he met and married the love of his life, Linda, in 1961. He earned multiple degrees - a BS from Kansas Wesleyan, an MBA from Wichita State, and his PhD from Penn State.

Kirk’s academic career was very successful; he served for 13 years as the Dean of the M. J. Neeley School of Business and was a Professor of Management at Texas Christian University from 1983 to 2000. He was also on faculty at University of Kentucky, Oklahoma State University, and Wichita State University. Prior to retiring from TCU, he was Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and was made Professor Emeritus of Management.

Kirk’s interest and expertise in organizational behavior also led him to be of service on many boards. He served on the Board of Directors of AZZ Incorporated for 25 years, serving as chairman for 11 years. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of LKCM Funds, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Harris Methodist Health Plans and as a trustee of Texas Health Resources. Before retirement, he was CEO of TexasSystems working with several universities in Hungary.

Kirk's hobbies included learning about the world, expertly completing the Times Sunday crossword, cooking, the pursuit of grilling the perfect hamburger, historical biographies, rescuing dogs, computer tinkering, skiing, technology gadgets in all forms, playing racquetball, and trivia domination.

Those who knew and loved will remember him as an intelligent, funny, well-traveled, articulate, and optimistic individual who strove to fully understand and respect others’ experiences Those who worked with him recall him as a mentor who gave excellent advice and sought to forward those who he believed in.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Linda, his loving daughter, Meghan, her partner Scott O’Neill, and Meghan’s child, Evan (14).

The memorial will be held privately online. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association as Kirk’s wife, Linda, also has Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

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