Kirk Mason Stage Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Kirk Mason Stage died peacefully at home on April 17, 2022, of complications of lung cancer. Kirk was born on July 3, 1952, in Jacksonville, Florida, to John and Shirley Stage. He grew up boating and sailing on the St. Johns River, making many lifelong friends in the neighborhood. Kirk earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1974, after which he was briefly a partner in a smoked mullet business and then worked for several local environmental consulting firms. He was a wetland scientist at Water & Air Research for more than 35 years, retiring in 2017. Over the years, Kirk owned sailboats, canoes, and other watercraft and was also an avid birdwatcher, sometime fisherman, and skilled putterer around the house and yard. Kirk is survived by his wife of 34 years, Kate Walker; siblings Polly Stage Harris (Tom) of Durham, North Carolina, David Stage (Sarah) of Tallahassee, and Tom (Stephanie) of South Euclid, Ohio; and special cousins Sam Stage (Melanie) of Elkton, Florida, and Amy Stage of St. Augustine. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home Downtown, 404 North Main Street in Gainesville. Memorial contributions may be made to Alachua Conservation Trust, 7204 SE County Road 234, Gainesville, FL 32641.