Joseph Kirkland Singeltary, 91, of Fayetteville passed away on May 12, 2018.
He was the adopted son of Joseph Kirkland, Sr. and Elizabeth Singeltary who resided in Bradenton, Fla. where he grew up. During his youth all of his summers were spent in Hendersonville, N.C., a place that held many fond memories of people that he loved and experiences that he would often recount. He was impartial as to his list of those people that he called friends, from the old moon-shiner up in the hills, to the sheriff in his town; from the Seminole Indian chief named Billy Bowlegs, to the bank president. Kirk was the kind of man who could talk to anyone, and who never met a stranger. He loved the outdoors and during his youth would frequently escape down to the Florida Everglades for days in a motor skiff that he helped build. He spent time with the Calusa Indians and would often tell stories of his adventures. He loved to camp and as a young man he enjoyed leading many Scout troops and teaching them the love of the outdoors.
Kirk joined the Navy in 1944 at the age of 17 and was stationed in the Pacific during WWll. He was trained as a corpsman where he witnessed many of the horrors of war. After the war, he moved to Atlanta, where he worked for the post office, and then for a trucking company as a dispatcher. He met his wife while attending a Methodist Church picnic and married her on November 7, 1953. He spent the majority of his working career in the building business where he worked as a builder for large housing projects in the Atlanta area.
Kirk had many great loves in his life. One was the love of serving others. During his youth he served in the Episcopal Church as an alter boy. After his marriage and the birth of his two daughters, he joined the Baptist Church and continued to serve as a deacon, both at the First Baptist Church of Hapeville and also at Harps Crossing Baptist Church in Fayetteville, where he shared his building experience with the Baptist Builders. He traveled with them for years helping to build, renovate, and repair churches including those in his own community. He went on many mission trips with the youth of the church and served as a mentor to many kids who needed a friend and his guidance. Kirk was a devoted husband and father. He gave everything to his family. He was generous with his love and with the wisdom he had to offer them. He was also generous to others and was the kind of man that if a stranger asked him for money, he would open his wallet and say, “take what you need.” Besides the great devotion he held for his family, Kirk’s other great love was the affection he held for all the dogs in his life; from his first dog, Duke, to his current dog, Rosie, who was a great comfort to him in his later years. Of all the things in his life that gave him happiness, his dogs were at the top of the list. Kirk was a very kind man with a loving heart, and he will be missed.
Kirk was preceded in death by his two sisters, Marion Fisher, Josephine Hinson and his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia Almand Singeltary; daughter, Virginia (Alma) Pereira-Singeltary, daughter Patricia (John Giglio) Singeltary; his grandchildren, Marissa Giglio and Jonathan (Amanda) Giglio; his great grandchild, Sawyer Giglio; his niece Marion (Jack) Mitchell and their children. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 from 5-7 p.m. at Mowell Funeral Home, Fayetteville. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at Harp’s Crossing Baptist Church, Fayetteville with Pastor Dennis Watson officiating. Burial will follow at College Park Cemetery, College Park.
Carl J. Mowell & Son Funeral Home, Fayetteville – www.mowellfuneralhome.com.
