Cincinnati - Kirk Lea passed away peacefully with a multitude of complications from Covid-19 early in the evening on February 3, 2022. He was 79 years old and had been a lifelong Cincinnati resident. He turned down a number of employment offers in his early career because he did not want to leave Cincinnati.

Kirk dearly loved his mother, Ethel Burlingham Lea, and worked with his father, Churchill P. Lea, Sr. in a large vegetable garden in their back yard. This was often to facilitate the salads his mother then made. This love of gardening continued for decades when he routinely started vegetable plants every spring in the basement under grow lights.

Kirk served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Vietnam as a Quartermaster for over a year. He was an excellent tennis player as a teenager and his love of racquet sports carried over into adulthood. He played racquetball for the better part of four decades.

He spent the bulk of his career at Stephenson Photo-color selling color publishing engravings to a variety of book publishers, art print manufacturers, calendar publishers and textbook publishers. He enjoyed meeting people and striking up conversations often finding commonality. He memorized a joke or a limerick for every occasion and often just a word in a conversation would prompt a fast limerick.

Kirk is survived by his beloved wife, Sandy Keller Lea, his sister Sally Lea Muir (Jim) his son, Gregory, stepsons Kevin Ryan (Amanda) and Tim Ryan (Kristin) and four grandchildren, and beloved dogs he and his family rescued, Heidi, Vinnie, and Rosie.  Arrangements are in the care of Vorhis and Ryan funeral directors, Norwood Ohio, where the family will be receiving friends and family for a visitation on Saturday, February 12, 2022 from 10:30 AM -12: 30 PM.  A memorial service will immediately follow beginning at 12:30 PM.  The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to: Shriners Hospitals for Children or your favorite charity.