Kirk Van Winkle, 70, of Sitka, died March 13 from complications related to an aneurysm surgery in Seattle, Washington.
Kirk was born in Oceanside, California, in 1954, the third of four children of La Vonne (Stewart) and Archie Van Winkle. Growing up in a military family, Kirk and his siblings moved often; he had a tremendous amount of respect for his mother who was often responsible for the logistics of moving a family of six across the country.
After graduating from high school in Maryland, Kirk took classes at the University of Maryland, spent time traveling the world, lived as part of a commune, and studied the art of meditation and yoga. Through these experiences, he discovered his love for cooking and attended the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating in 1985, he worked all over the world as a chef including in Italy, the Caribbean, New York, California, and Alaska. Early in his cooking career, Kirk helped to start a vegetarian co-op restaurant called Blue Mango, at UC Davis, that became an integral part of the community. Kirk eventually made his way back up to Alaska through Ketchikan, finally settling in Sitka, where he co-owned Van Winkle and Daiglers.
Kirk met his wife, Marlene, in 1989, the day after she moved to Sitka with her two sons Levi and Shaun Rhea. Kirk and Marlene were married in December 1990 and welcomed the birth of their son, Archie, in the spring of 1991 to complete their family of five.
Kirk would eventually open his final restaurant, Van Winkle and Sons, where he had the pleasure of working with all three of his sons and many of their friends before he sold it in 2015 due to health issues.
Kirk was a veracious reader. Before the days of E-books, he could always be found with a book in hand whether he was working at his restaurants or attending his son’s wedding with a book in his back pocket. Kirk enjoyed playing slots and loved celebrating his birthday in Vegas whenever possible. He had an impressive frog collection mostly due to mentioning early in his marriage that he liked frogs; this frog collection would go on to be a beautiful bond between him and some of his grandchildren. His biggest sense of pride came from the success of his three sons and the families they created.
Kirk is survived by his wife, Marlene Van Winkle; son Levi and Aylee Rhea and their four children; son Shaun and Kanani Rhey and their two children; son Archie Van Winkle and Emma Jane Park; and sister Judy Van Winkle and brother Barrick Van Winkle, and their respective families.
Both Kirk and Marlene have felt so blessed to be a part of Sitka’s community and are forever grateful for the years of support they have received, including these last few months, the family said.
The family will hold an intimate memorial in honor of Papa Kirk.
