Patrick Kearns

Patrick John Kearns was born on September 11, 1945 in Denver, CO, the only child of William Kearns and Mary Philomena Rickerby Kearns. He was reared by his mother, living in various Denver neighborhoods throughout his childhood. He attended Catholic boarding schools in Sidney, NE (elementary school), Santa Fe, NM (junior high), and Canon City, CO (The Abbey School, high school). Patrick graduated from Regis College (now Regis University) in Denver, and did graduate work at the University of Colorado, Denver. His working life began at the tender age of 14, working summers to help out his mother by bagging groceries at Safeway. He later worked at diverse companies and institutions, including Continental Can Company, Boettcher School for Crippled Children, and National Jewish Hospital. He joined the Denver Fire Department in November 1974 and retired 26 1/4 years later in February 2001, having attained the rank of Captain. He earned a reputation for being a smart, aggressive firefighter, but always put his crews' safety first. He obtained an EMT certification on his own, before they became standard training for Denver firefighters, because he sought to be more skillful in his work. For much of his career, he was a Teamsters Union (Local 858) board member and also a member of the Fire Protective Association executive board. He helped establish the Peer Support Program for the fire department, the first counseling program in Denver for firefighters and their spouses. His last assignment was as the administrative captain at the Training Academy, which trained not only Denver firefighters but also other firefighters from around the region. He was a natural teacher, and took great pride in his students' accomplishments. Patrick was always an ""outside kid"", and enjoyed being in Nature his entire life. He was a counselor for the Outward Bound program in his late teens. He pursued hiking, mountain climbing, spelunking, scuba diving, swimming, running and bicycling, the latter three leading him naturally to compete in triathlons for a number of years, even into his 50's. He was once set to qualify for the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, but unfortunately was prevented from going to the qualifier by an ankle injury sustained on the job. He liked camping, skiing (both cross-country and downhill), and fly fishing. He played semi-professional soccer for a time in his twenties, and enjoyed playing ""combat"" volleyball, handball and basketball with other firefighters during the slow times on the job. He used to say that he never claimed to be ""a scholar or a gentleman"", but his intellectual life belied that claim. He enjoyed philosophy, psychology, politics, history, science and medicine, ecology, poetry, movies and music, and had a fine baritone singing voice. He was a supporter of numerous wildlife and wild lands preservation groups, human welfare organizations, and pet shelters. He was gratified to have ""…never bought a dog"", but adopted five fine dogs over the years. He was always up for a good debate, a good story or a good joke, but was incapable of cruelty or prejudice in the telling of one. His was an unfailingly kind and gentle nature, a gregarious, optimistic and cheerful personality. Indeed, in his last year of life, with the onset of several serious illnesses, he consistently dazzled his physicians with his willingness to do whatever it took to regain his health, and to do those things with courage, dedication and hopefulness. Patrick suffered a seizure and a cardiac arrest on Tuesday, January 28, 2014, in front of his home. Despite every effort expended by the Denver Fire Department, Denver Health paramedics, Rose Hospital ER staff (who were able to get his heart started again), and the Rose Hospital ICU personnel, his brain was too badly injured by the lack of oxygen, and once taken off a respirator, slipped quickly and peacefully away. He died Saturday, February 1, 2014, at the age of 68. Patrick was a generous spirit, and a loving husband to his wife of 20 years and companion of 33 years, Anna Marie Doyle, who survives him. His impish sense of humor and quirky, slightly-tilted world-view made their life together a constant joy and adventure. They each considered the other to be their soul-mate, and were keenly aware of their extreme good luck in finding one another. They met at a medical call in northeast Denver in 1981 when Anna, a very new Denver police officer, was covering the fire department . Unbeknownst to her, Patrick had grilled her training officers for info about her prior to their meeting, and he broke the ice by looking up from doing chest compressions on the victim and stating in his best Irish brogue, ""Anna Marie O'Doyle, ye darlin' woman, we have to stop meeting' this way. Let's have lunch!"" She was smitten from that moment on. And who wouldn't be? In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Thomas P. Kearns, sisters-in-law Paula Doyle and Penny Doyle, brother-in-law Robert Doyle, nieces Megan Mayer and Lesly Doyle, nephew Adrian Doyle, grand-niece Lillian Doyle and grand-nephew Patrick Doyle, cousins and friends, who are legion. His handsome face and infectious smile charmed everyone he met. He never forgot a friend, and considered everyone a friend. His death leaves all who knew him and loved him spiritually lessened. In keeping with his philosophy as a ""Recovering Catholic"" and considering himself an atheist in recent years, no funeral or ceremony will be held. His body has been cremated. He wished his ashes to be spread in the Colorado mountains, to join those of his mother, who died in 1990. Patrick was an organ and tissue donor, in keeping with his generous nature. Family and friends are encouraged to remember Patrick in their own way, or by contributing to their own favorite good cause in his memory. Please share your memories of Patrick and condolences with his family by signing the guestbook below.