Tokuji Fukai Vankirk

Tokuji Fukai “Jack” Van Kirk, 76, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 14, surrounded by his loving wife and family friends. He died after a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. Jack was born in Yamato, Japan on May 13, 1943. He was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents. At the age of 19, Jack left Japan and joined his mother and stepfather in El Paso, Texas. After arriving in El Paso, he attended night classes at Cathedral High School in order to learn English. After a year in El Paso, Jack enlisted in the United States Army. He proudly served for 28 years, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4) in 1988. During his Army career, he earned numerous awards and honors, including two Meritorious Service Medals for his work with the NIKE Hercules and PATRIOT weapon systems. After retiring from active duty, Jack worked as a military consultant for 10 more years before finally retiring in 1998. During his military service, Jack was stationed in various posts throughout Europe and the United States. While stationed in Germany, he met the love of his life, his future wife Hildegardis Tappermann (Hilda). The two married shortly after meeting and spent the next 50 years as husband and wife. His other passion in life was golf. He quickly fell in love with the game after volunteering to play in a tournament while in the Army. He spent much of the next 50 years perfecting his game, playing as often as he could. After retirement, he and Hilda traveled the country playing as many courses as they could find. Jack was also an honored member of the Wallace Hughston Masonic Lodge #1393 and a Master Mason for more than 50 years. He cared for everyone he came in contact with, especially his soldiers. He went out of his way to make sure they were always prepared and taken care of. Jack is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Hilda Van Kirk as well as his brother-in-law Peter Tappermann and wife Monika. He also leaves behind numerous nieces, their families and many friends. Visitation will be on Monday, September 23 from 10:00 am to Noon at Sunset Funeral Home – Northeast. A funeral service will follow at Noon followed by a 1:00 p.m. committal service at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.