William Kevin Kirkpatrick
Age 68, of Clarkston, Michigan passed away on Saturday, December 20, 2025. In accordance with his wishes, cremation will take place. Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family on Kevin’s tribute wall at detroitcremationsociety.com.
William Kevin Kirkpatrick was born on March 4, 1957 in New Eagle, Pennsylvania, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William and Elizabeth (Lyle) Kirkpatrick. He would later move to Waterford, Michigan after his father took a job at the local General Motors plant. He graduated from Waterford Kettering High School and attended Michigan State University, receiving a master’s degree in computer science. In 1998, he would take a position as a programmer at Oakland County Information Technology, where he would work until his retirement in August 2025.
Kevin was an avid golfer, working as a caddy in high school and enjoying the game throughout his life. He enjoyed watching movies, especially when shared with family, and was a regular at trivia nights at local venues, where his quick wit and dry sense of humor were well known. Those who worked with him often remember him as a mentor, willing to share his knowledge and time. Kevin was a multifaceted person, and no two people knew him in quite the same way. Each relationship revealed a different side of him, all equally real and remembered fondly.
Left to cherish his memory are his sister, Kimberley, and his children, William, Duncan, Keara and Aidan.
Kevin was preceded in death by his sister Christina and his parents.
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I spent four years at Michigan State University with Keven. His obituary does him justice. Keven kept me entertained with stories about him. One story was about when Keven played tennis one day and I think he said that he played around forty games before he took a break.
One of the last times I spoke with Keven was shortly after he graduated from MSU, with a degree in Package Engineering. Keven had a job offer from a company in California. Keven noted that the starting salary they offered him was enough for him to purchase a Corvett. Keven turned down the job offer since he did not want to move from his hometown of Detroit.
William Kevin Kirkpatrick. ‘KK’. The name, and the man himself, are legend in the annals of caddie lore and history.
I hope the MSU Evans Scholars will take it on themselves to memorialize him with some special recognition in the MSU Chapter House. He made a unique and very special impact on each of us who found ourselves touched by his wit, abiding friendship, his pure unassuming genius … and what could only be called an amazing receptacle of a mind for the most obscure trivia fact.
KK was such a great friend!
I feel certain he will post a light in the cosmos for all to follow on our own journeys.
Until then Big Man.
Ok was my big brother at the house. Lots of good memories. Great guy and great friend during my time at the house. Prayers for KK.
Prayers for KK’s children and sister that the Lord comfort you at this time.
It was great to know KK even if only for a few short years.
God bless you all.
KK was always one of those guys you just wanted to hang out with. While I wasn’t as close to him as some of my classmates, he did have a large influence on my life in an unexpected way. He helped me get a part-time job at Sears where I later met first my wife and mother of my two children. It just shows how a simple kindness can have lasting effects. He was that type of guy.
I had not talked with Kevin over the last few years. That does not lessen the impact he had on my life.
We were often inseparable during our college days. An example was that another fellow scholar once noticed that Kevin looked “Ducky” in his coat. Since I went by the unfortunate nickname of “Squab,” this scholar (and of course others) started referring to us as Duckman and Squab…Caddies are big on nicknames…
After college, Kevin and I would meet up in East Lansing for football games, sometimes fishing, sometimes golf, etc. In 1986, Kevin served as the Best Man at my wife Sue’s and my wedding.
We offer love and prayers to Kevin’s family at this difficult time. Kevin was one of a kind, and I feel honored to have known him and to have called him my friend.
I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin in 1975 as a freshman Evans Scholars.
Kevin was such a mentor role model and friend/Evan Scholars Big Brother.
He never failed to make someone laugh and make them feel you knew him forever.
My condolence to his Family and all those of us he impacted.
Rest in peace, KK I am better for having known you.
Worked with Kevin for 20 plus years. We joked A LOT, he made working fun. KK and I started the paperless movement at the job. He always and I mean always was willing to help and go the extra mile. One of a kind, smart, unique, fun, golf loving guy. I’m going to miss you buddy!! Rest up, see you on the other side my friend!
Praying for the kids, Kevin left his mark on everyone that knew him
Wit, intelligence and irreverent humor is what I most remember, and I don’t mind sharing some of that.
We came out of Orchard Lake Country Club together into the Evans Scholars program, though we didn’t know each other well in the teen caddy days.
Rough-housing on the front lawn one day, it became apparent that I might have more than a sprain, and KK drove me the three miles to Sparrow Hospital to get checked out, where he offered to fill out the paperwork. “I know everything about you anyway.” he said.
Handing in the paperwork, the admitting nurse asked if I had allergies. “Lysergic acid diethylamide,” KK offered with a straight face. The eye-rolling nurse wasn’t as amused as KK to list LSD as an allergy.
We lived together briefly some years later when he was in post-graduate studies and I was still completing my bachelors degree. One night he came in late one night and sat on my bed. “Chuck, wake up. It’s important.”
“What is?”
“Non-linear differential equations.” he said. Not being an advanced math student, all I got from the next hour was the concept of using linear math in non-linear measurements. The application was, and is, beyond me.
I saw KK less frequently as time passed and as we all embraced our job and family obligations, mostly at ES reunions, though I ran into him a couple times at the county where my work took me and where he was employed.
Deepest condolences to his children. I hope they’ll find some solace at the memorial when someone says,
“And then there was the time that ….”