MORTON – Kirk P. Kessling, 56, of Morton, passed away on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, at his home at Creekwood Apartments in Morton.

He was born on November 12, 1964, in Peoria, Ill., to Harold and Cassalyn “Cassie” (Heintzman) Kessling. They both preceded him in death.

Surviving are his siblings, Kevin (Cheryl) Kessling of Charlotte, N.C., Karen (T.A.) Whitsitt of Champaign, Ill., and Kim (Mark) Johnson of Morton; eight nieces and nephews, Kelly (Tim) Kelly, Mike (Jamie) Kessling, Scott (Amy) Kessling, Matt Whitsitt, Emily Whitsitt, Ryan (Katie) Johnson, Sara (Greg) Roth, and Anna (Austin Reedy) Johnson; and 10 great-nieces and nephews, Owen Kessling, Ellie, Molly and Connor Kessling, Will, Grant and Audrey Johnson, and Nora, Tanner and Asher Roth.

Kirk graduated from Morton High School in 1983. After high school, he worked at K-Mart in Morton. He also volunteered for We Care, Inc., assembling their newsletter.

Anyone who knew Kirk knew he was an accomplished leathersmith and loved gifting his tooled leather pieces to friends and family. He was a great joke teller who loved making others laugh.

Kirk was strong in his faith and it was instilled in him by his parents that “God never gives you more than you can handle.” With that mentality, Kirk was able to live his life to the fullest and overcome the many obstacles that he endured.

Kirk’s family would like to thank Janet and Willie, two of his very special friends and caregivers from EP!C, and also his many friends and the staff at Creekwood Apartments, who all meant the world to Kirk.

He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Morton, where a Mass of Christian burial will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, with Msgr. Gerald Ward officiating and will also be live streamed via the church Facebook profile at https://www.facebook.com/Blessed-Sacrament-Catholic-Church-Morton-Illinois-1621013384782666 . Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, prior to the Mass at the church. Burial will be at Hirstein Cemetery in Morton.

Memorials may be made to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church or We Care, Inc.

Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Morton is handling arrangements.

To leave an online condolence for the family, visit www. knappjohnson.com.