Kirby Kropp
Kirby Kropp
August 23rd, 1989 – February 2nd, 2026
*Author’s Note: The following excerpts in our “Life Stories” are from the Celebration of Life service for Kirby Kropp for you to read, reflect, and pay your respects privately. Kirby’s loved ones gathered for a very special celebration of his life at Piasecki Funeral Home. His mom wrote a heartfelt eulogy, his Aunt Christine shared a beautiful poem, a family friend shared a thoughtful reading, and many loved ones told stories and sentiments that captured Kirby’s kindness, humor, and love. It was an honor to learn about Kirby. He will be dearly missed by many.
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Mark Twain said, “The mind has a dim sense of vast loss that is all. It will take mind and memory months and possibly years to gather the details and thus learn and know the whole extent of the loss.” That means it’s nearly impossible to comprehend how someone we love one day just becomes gone. It takes a long time for our minds to come to terms with loss. And missing someone you love lasts for always.
While the broken pieces of your heart will never quite be the same, know that Kirby would not want your heart to be troubled. He would want you to embrace your life, live each day, and find joy and peace. My most heartfelt wish for you is that your broken pieces may heal and be stronger and more beautiful because you knew and loved Kirby.
May you know in your heart that Kirby’s journey is complete, he is home now in the loving embrace of our Lord in heaven. He is reunited with his Aunt Beth. He is surrounded by love.
As we reflect on Kirby’s 36 years, it may feel like it all went by far too quickly. While no length of time with our loved ones will ever seem long enough, know that it was an absolute blessing to have had Kirby present on this earth for over 3 decades. His time here was a precious gift. When your world is feeling a little too empty, may you fill it with gratitude that your time here overlapped with Kirby’s and that you were blessed to know him.
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A message of love and remembrance from Kirby’s mother, Patricia:
We are extremely heartbroken about the tragic loss of our beloved son, Kirby.
Kirby was a kind human who was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warm-hearted. He loved his family and friends in his life to the fullest. He was a pure soul, and we are incredibly proud of him. We are blessed to be his parents, better humans for the time we spent with him and the lessons he taught us.
This gathering is a celebration of Kirby’s life. You are all here because you loved and cared for Kirby- and Kirby loved and cared for you too. Whether you are biological family, chosen family, friends or coworkers, know that Kirby valued his relationship with each of you and cherished the fun times, the learning experiences, and the opportunities for growth that your time spent together afforded him.
Make no mistake, Kirby knew who he was and who he wasn’t. He openly shared his feelings with us about many different things, and he most assuredly understood that he was a better person for having had all of his experiences, both good and not so good, and he continued to strive to be worthy of your love and friendship.
Reflecting on one’s life is not for the weak. Kirby, even though he didn’t often share it, was a man of quiet reflection about life and his experiences. He was most assuredly his own worst critic. As a society, success is often measured in terms of how much money or fame one accumulates in a lifetime. Kirby knew little of either of those things, yet by our measurement, he was a very successful human. He tried to live each day with zest, a sense of adventure, and with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
He consistently and consciously chose to put days of adversity behind him, forgiving those who many times never offered an apology. He did so because he clearly understood that in providing others with forgiveness, he too would be deserving of the forgiveness he needed from all of you.
Kirby spent little time fretting or worrying over a future over which he knew he had little control. He gave of his time freely– whether it was helping a friend or family member move, assembling IKEA furniture, serving as a self-proclaimed “grill master” at a work or family event, or just listening to someone in need of a compassionate, non-judgmental ear. Kirby treated family, friends, and strangers with compassion and kindness…never wanting anyone to feel that they were alone. He was not without flaws and was fully aware of his flaws…all of you are here because you loved and accepted Kirby for who he was, despite those flaws.
Kirby was born on August 23, 1989. His birth was more than a week overdue- even at birth he was late, and those of us that knew and loved him knew very well that “being late” was just part of who Kirby was. Even his birthing delivery was complicated as well…because even then Kirby decided he was going to do things “his way.”
As a child, Kirby was a funny, curious, animal-loving, avid reader who enjoyed every little detail of life. These traits never left him…his dogs, Jonny and Jamie, were his fur-children and were an intimate part of every relationship he had with us humans.
He loved trying new things including sports, though as a young child you would be more apt to see him “skipping” on the basketball court or soccer field than you would see him actually playing the game at hand.
Kirby loved animals from the moment he was born. Dinosaurs, seals, whales, dolphins, dogs, cats, turtles, frogs, birds…you name it and he loved it. His favorite fur-child, Jonny, joins us here today. Anyone that knew Kirby knew his dedication and love for his fur-children. They were a package deal, Kirby and Jonny and Jamie. Your own pets became part of his extended family, and they gave him special joy.
He loved swimming from an early age and that passion allowed him to save a child from drowning in a community pool. His compassion and empathy and commitment to service and assisting others carried into his adult life, with him earning his Emergency Medical Technician and Firefighter I/II certification in his early twenties. The few years he spent as an EMT/FF in Minnesota resulted in him saving many lives. His passion for service and helping his fellow humans were carried with him throughout his life, with him recently returning to college to earn a degree as a Registered Nurse.
As you can see from all the items displayed here today, Kirby had a great many passions. He was an extremely intelligent young man with an appetite for learning and reading…whether it was Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Mark Twain or the occasional rabbit hole into String Theory, he never stopped broadening his knowledge or interests through reading.
Kirby was a “closeted” Marshalls and Hobby Lobby connoisseur. Those offers to go shopping at Marshalls and Hobby Lobby were the efforts of a good friend/boyfriend but also a way for him to enjoy his own secret passion without admitting it. He loved the little things he found at those places that gave life colorful and detailed meaning.
Kirby enjoyed laughing and making others laugh as well. He had a great sense of humor, enjoying corny jokes, and dark and witty humor. Whether it is from your own personal experiences or the pictures displayed here today, Kirby’s sense of humor is an obvious trait he was proud of. He would gladly engage in bets or challenges that resulted in him wearing Winnie the Pooh or Piglet costumes in public or having to wear jerseys/shirts from an opposing winning team to work…he chose not to take himself too seriously and enjoyed sharing humor with everyone.
One of Kirby’s passions gave him equal parts joy and frustration- the Minnesota Vikings. Just a few items of his extensive Vikings memorabilia collection are here today. If you loved Kirby, you had to freely (and sometimes begrudgingly) accept this part of him, even when the Vikings were a source of disappointment. He had a great many experiences related to football, all of which brought him much joy. When you shared in those experiences, whether you were family, friends or girlfriends, you accepted this part of him. For that he was extremely grateful.
Kirby was fortunate to have family and friends that loved him deeply. He was blessed with a special bond between him and his grandparents, Don and Carol Kropp. His childhood was filled with wonderful experiences such as fishing, canoeing, toad races, neighborhood child parades, “guess-the-animal,” and other games created by and shared with his grandparents and family that stimulated his creativity and made those childhood experiences magical memories that he cherished his entire lifetime.
Kirby was fortunate to have friends he called brothers. The memories he shared with those friends included such things as frisbee-golf, escape rooms, movies, football games, and many other wonderful experiences. He also shared times of struggle and difficulties with these same friends. William Shakespeare said, “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”
There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family…Nick, Lyle, Andrew, James, and J’Sean…Kirby was truly blessed to call you his friends and his chosen brothers. He loved you very much and was truly grateful for you being a very special part of his life.
For everyone here that knew and even loved Kirby, please know that he valued every relationship, every experience, and every memory that you shared with him. Every single one of you that shared a bond with him was valued and appreciated for the time you spent with him, the experiences you shared, and the unconditional support you gave him.
One of the greatest tragedies in life is never knowing the full extent of how deeply you are loved. Not just by friends, family or partners, but by those whose lives we touch even for the briefest of moments. There’s someone who remembers a compliment you gave them and thinks about that compliment on their hardest days. Someone who noticed your absence today because your mere presence calms them. There are strangers who remember how kind you were. There are coworkers who you helped get through difficult days at work. There are friends or family who saved a text or voicemail you sent them because it touched them deeper than you realize. The truth is: your presence in others’ lives is felt in ways you may never fully see. With this in mind, the best advice we can give you all is to be a little kinder to each other…this is what we ask to be remembered about Kirby…his kindness.
We would like to share the words of a friend regarding Kirby’s passing:
“When God’s divine atom takes birth as a human being, it becomes confined within the human body. But when the human body dies, that divine atom of God becomes omnipresent. This means Kirby, as God’s divine atom, is present everywhere—in you, in me, in everyone. Kirby is everywhere because he has escaped the confines of the human body and suffering on earth. He has become omnipresent in the universe, with God and is still alive inside you.”
We thank you for your love and friendship that you so freely shared with Kirby. His life was richer and more beautiful because of all of you. When he crosses your mind, we hope that it lightens your heart and brings you a gentle smile.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is not length of life, but depth of life.” Our time spent with Kirby was far too short but the depth and meaning of his life will be carried with us for all eternity.
We love you, Kirby. You are forever in our hearts, thoughts, and memories until we see you again.
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Kirby will be forever loved and missed by his mother, Patricia, his father, Greg, his grandparents, Donald and Carol, many aunts, uncles, cousins, stepmother, stepsister, stepbrother, his beloved fur-children, Jonny and Jamie, and other dear family members and friends.
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Mother Theresa said, “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
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Kirby, may you rest in eternal peace knowing you are dearly loved.
My sincere condolences and love, Holly