A Sad Time for the World Bird Sanctuary

“He always brought donuts,” Roger said, “even when he rode his motorcycle.” 

It’s weird the things you remember, the things that give you pause, when someone you care for is suddenly gone.  All of us here at WBS will be having those moments for a long time to come since the sudden passing of John Kinsey late December 12^th.  He was only 44.  John was a loyal volunteer and an even more loyal friend.  He joined us in 2004 and worked on Sundays in the Education Training Center; this is where the donuts went.  He also helped out in the Propagation department and in Education programs.  He became an integral part of our squad of flying Bald Eagles and their trainers, known to us as “Team Bubba,” taking beautiful pictures at their events, as well as hauling crates and equipment without complaint.

This post could be incredibly long—it’s hard for me to be concise about all the ways John was awesome.  I started at WBS as an intern a few months after John arrived, so he has always been part of my life here, one of my closest friends.  There were a lot of things he loved—his photography, his music, his bike.  He loved the birds, and some of them even loved him back.  Niles, our Southern Ground Hornbill, tried to joyfully bound into the bleachers to see John (“Niles! NO!”) in the middle of a show a few years back.  Our poor speaker was horrified, as was John, but all was well in the end.  John hid better from Niles during shows in the future. 

He loved his friends and took such good care of all of us.  He loved just hanging out, especially at “Fire and Beer,” our periodic after-work bonfires.  He always stayed until the end to help me put the fire out, no matter how late or cold it was.  Most of all, the best thing we can learn from John that came up unanimously among all of us was this: if there is something in life you want to do or want to learn…do it…learn it.  Plan for it. Save for it.  Or do it randomly one unexpected day.  It sounds so simple, but it isn’t always.  John always did.  He was always pursuing something new with great vigor, and then would gleefully share it with us.

We have lost a very special person, friend, volunteer.  But thankfully we also have things around us that will remind us of him everyday forever—a freezing day at K.C. Renaissance Faire, Lewis flying at Busch Stadium, the sound of a motorcycle, a warm donut on a cold day.  I imagine him taking care of all the birds we have lost, and the ones we will inevitably lose in the future, as that is a sad part of our job.  Sometimes he’ll be laughing at us, for sure, but he will always be smiling.  We should all strive to be as kind as he was.  He will be greatly missed.

Submitted by Dana Lambert, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist