Wayne Miller McKirdy

Wayne's funeral service will be viewable at https://vimeo.com/1053104800 Wayne Miller McKirdy, 95, was the 13th of 16 children born to Herbert and Dagmar (Miller) McKirdy on June 9, 1929, at Gladstone, ND. He lived as a man of integrity with a joyful intensity all the years of his life. He served as a United Methodist pastor. Being a minister is not something you do; it is who you are to the core of your being. This was Wayne. Wayne served in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict in the early ‘50’s. This proved to be a gateway for him following his service to enter into higher education on the GI Bill. For education, Wayne graduated from Gladstone High School in 1947, attended one year at Dickinson State Teachers' College (ND), one year at Utah State, and two years at Jamestown College (ND) where he graduated in 1955. He went on to Iliff School of Theology (Denver, CO) becoming a fully-ordained Methodist pastor in June 1958. He married Maybelle Ralston on August 24, 1958, whom he had met at his Deacon ordination two years earlier. As a full-time pastor, Wayne with Maybelle served at Napoleon and Braddock, ND, Tioga, ND, Edgeley, ND, Black Hills Methodist Camp and Piedmont, SD, Faulkton and Seneca, SD, Bigstone City and Revillo, SD, North Dakota Camping Director at Wesley Acres Camp, ND. After retiring in 1991, they bought a house in Valley City, ND and were appointed to serve seven more churches during their retirement years. Maybelle passed away in 2009. She had wanted them to write a book about their life. Wayne honored her wish, spending many years writing their book, Together. He gave up his yard in 2012, moving to the North Dakota Veterans' Home in Lisbon, where he always felt he was ‘treated like a General.’ In his early years he was nicknamed “Birdy McKirdy” as birding was always his passion. Whether leading Boy Scout troops, canoe trips, bird hikes, or working in his many gardens, he was connected to nature throughout his life. Personal integrity and a deep sense of gratitude were integral elements of the legacy passed to each generation of family, church, and community. His commitment to living the love of Jesus Christ was primary to him. The preacher you heard from the pulpit, the man you met on the street, and the father who sat at the supper table were all the same person as Wayne lived with authenticity to the very best of his ability. Wayne and Maybelle's children are Scott (Colleen), Stuart (Ellen), Bruce (Lori), and Donna McKirdy (Carlos Diaz) with 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. There will be an informal prayer service held at the North Dakota Veterans’ Home in Lisbon on Friday, January 31 at 10:30am CST with pecan pie following. The funeral service will be at Epworth United Methodist Church in Valley City on Saturday, February 1 at 10am CST with more pecan pie following. Burial will be in the Gladstone Cemetery on Saturday afternoon around 3:30pm MST. Anyone is welcome to meet the family there, but you will have to bring your own pecan pie. Memorials can be sent to Dakotas United Methodist Camping program. There will be an informal prayer service held at the North Dakota Veterans’ Home in Lisbon on Friday, January 31 at 10:30am CST. Funeral Service will be at Epworth United Methodist Church in Valley City on Saturday, February 1 at 10am CST, burial will follow in the Gladstone cemetery on Saturday afternoon about 3:30pm MST. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Oliver-Nathan Funeral Chapel, Valley City. An online guestbook is available at www.olivernathanchapel.com

Wayne Miller McKirdy

June 9, 1929 - January 26, 2025