Kirk Duncan Schumann

Kirk Duncan Schumann

April 15, 1937-March 11, 2021

Mr. Kirk Duncan Schuman was born April 15, 1937 to Bernice (Ackerson) and Milton Schuman. Kirk was one of seven children. He was the father of three girls, Karen, Debbie and Deanna. He married his longtime friend Donna and with that marriage, Kirk gained another daughter named Debbie. He was a grandfather of six and had numerous great-grandchildren as well as a handful of nieces, nephews and other family and friends who will cherish their memories of Kirk. His daughter, Karen and stepdaughter Debbie as well as two brothers preceded Kirk in death.

Kirk was a longtime resident of Contra Costa County, residing most of his 75 years in California here in El Sobrante. He was an Auto Body Repairman for 50 years. He was an energetic man, who loved traveling and Off-road races. He was a member of the San Pablo Eagle’s Club and enjoyed spending time with friends and family.

On March 11, 2021 Kirk passed away in his family home with his wife of 41 years by his side, he was 83 years old.

When asked about Kirk, the family had so much to share, but I think his granddaughter, Jennifer summed it up best and here's the writing below she allowed us to share:

Cowboy. Car guy. Partner in crime. 

To know Papa was an experience. He had a presence about him, and even when he was quiet, you knew he was there. He didn't mince words, had no problem telling you what was on his mind, usually with a few F bombs thrown in for spice, and never stopped taking in the world around him and trying to figure out how to make it uniquely his. 

He was both pragmatic and creative. Both dug into his routines and ready for adventures. If you needed something and he had it, it was yours. If he didn't have it, he'd figure out how to make it, generally with things he had sitting around the house. If he couldn't make it, it probably didn't exist. If he wanted something bad enough, he simply found a way to make it happen. 

Papa loved new experiences, and he shared as many of those experiences as he could with his family. Some of my earliest memories are of trips to Virginia City in the motor home, early morning drives to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, and one particular year when I suddenly had the burning need to see Opryland and Dollywood and the next thing I knew we were flying to Tennessee. There was always a weekend or restless day off drive somewhere. Flea markets, festivals, San Francisco. If there was something exciting to do, see, or eat we'd find ourselves in the car an on our way.

Boy, did he love feeding people, and no one ever left his house without a bag of lemons or something like tomatoes grown in his yard. In the last few years he discovered the dollar store, and I couldn't leave for work without him trying to talk me into a bag of whatever goodies he found there. If he wasn't entertaining someone at home it was a standing lunch or breakfast routine that changed every few months. To this day I only eat hot dogs with ketchup and cheese because that's how he ordered them for me for years at Sam's Dog House on Friday afternoons.

I had a pretty unique perspective into Papa's life. For most of my childhood he was my after school care, so we spent a lot of time together. I watched him work on hot rods and he took me to ballet classes. I learned to weld and he...never quite got the hang of ponytails. As an adult I've had and the opportunity to live in his home part time, and I'm grateful for the opportunity that gave me to really get to know him and have a relationship with him as an adult. 

What I appreciate and cherish more than anything is that I was never treated any differently than his other grandchildren. I was never discouraged from getting dirty or riding motorcycles with the boys. I was never treated as if I was fragile because I was a girl. From a very young age he encouraged me to stand up for myself and assert myself amongst louder, bigger, more intimidating kids around me, and that ability to stand my ground and keep pushing forward in places I've been told I couldn't it wouldn't make it has opened a lot of otherwise locked doors for me in the same way they always seemed to open for him. 

I'm convinced that there isn't a single person who has had the experience of meeting Papa that doesn't remember at least one detail from it. He was one of the most authentic people I've ever known. He knew he wasn't everyone's cup of tea, and he honestly couldn't have cared less as long as the people he loved were safe and happy. I have no doubt he's in whatever afterlife awaits us knowing he did everything in his power to do just that. I assume he's already talking to the powers that be about how they can improve the place, his laugh booming as he catches up with everyone who has gone before him, and offering to feed all of the heavens... probably with a few F bombs thrown in for spice. 

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