Charles "Duane" Kirkmeyer

Charles “Duane” Kirkmeyer

“With a heart as level as his heart is true”

After spending 91½ years on earth, Charles “Duane” Kirkmeyer decided he had accomplished all that he could and entered eternal life on May 2, 2026.

Duane was born in Boulder, Colorado, on November 6, 1934, to James E. Kirkmeyer and Elvira “Billie” Howard. He was the eldest of three sisters and two brothers.

Duane attended Mountain View School for eight years, where approximately half of the students were his cousins. Before and after school, he milked cows by hand and often rode his horse to class. From a young age, farming and milking cows were part of the rhythm of his life, teaching him the value of hard work, patience, responsibility, and caring for the animals and land that provided for his family.

He grew up playing baseball, a passion that continued well into his forties as he passed his knowledge and love of the game on to his sons. He was active in 4-H for many years, showing dairy cattle, and later became a club leader.

Although Duane and Bernice lived within two miles of each other, they did not know one another until they enrolled at Brighton High School. Duane graduated from Brighton High School in 1952. He was active in FFA and was awarded the Raymond Grey Scholarship while attending Colorado A&M for one year. After that, he took over the dairy farm for his father and remained a passionate dairyman and lifelong farmer.

On August 11, 1956, Duane married Bernice Salamonski. Together, they were looking forward to celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary this August. Duane often said that he and Bernice literally became one after their marriage. Their life together was built on love, trust, respect, hard work, and family.
Duane and Bernice raised three sons: Duane C., Gregory, and Bryan. Duane was truly devoted to raising his boys and proudly passed his passion for farming, milking cows, sports, hard work, and family on to them.

Duane was not boastful. He did not talk much about what he had accomplished. He simply did the work, kept his word, loved his family, and did what was right. His strength was quiet, but it was unmistakable.

Duane bowled for many years before taking up golf after the age of 50. He helped start the Co-op Golf Tournament. Card playing was one of Duane’s favorite pastimes, whether in the air, on land, or on the high seas. He especially loved writing poetry, and those poems remain among Bernice’s most treasured possessions.

He enjoyed the farm, the animals, the garden, the crops, the tractors, and especially baling hay after his “retirement” to help his sons. Always a farmer at heart, Duane wore coveralls whenever he could.

Duane was proud to serve on the American Pride Co-op Board and later became Chairman. He was also elected Director of the FRICO Ditch Company and was a lifetime member of the Elks.
In 2009, Duane and Bernice built a new home in Brighton, Colorado, though he kept the farmhouse for when he was in the “doghouse.”

Duane was an amazing husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He especially enjoyed playing checkers and chess with his great-grandchildren, but he never believed in giving away a win. If they beat him, they earned it, just the way Duane believed things ought to be.

Duane cultivated a lifelong legacy of character, humility, responsibility, humor, quiet strength, and love.

Duane’s motto in life was, Love, Trust, and Respect. He believed it was important to laugh at your mistakes, never look back, and always look ahead.

Duane is survived by his wife, Bernice; his sons, Duane C. Kirkmeyer and Gregory (Mary) Kirkmeyer; his grandchildren, Clayton Kirkmeyer, Katee (Randy) Pevler, Caroline (Casey) Maxwell, and Gabrielle Maxwell Kirkmeyer; his great-grandchildren, Amelia, Preston, Paxton, Cayden, Parker, Cutter, and Caine; his siblings, Jo-Ann Frick, Shayla Toledo, Sharla (Eddie) Castro, and Shadron (Peggy) Walton; as well as many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, James E. Kirkmeyer and Elvira “Billie” Howard; his brother, James E. Kirkmeyer Jr.; and his son, Bryan L. Kirkmeyer.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
Brighton High School: 207 S. 8th Avenue Brighton, CO 80601. Please include the memo line: “FFA Dept” Duane Kirkmeyer.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charles "Duane" Kirkmeyer, please visit our floral store.