Victor Jon Poirier

Victor Jon Poirier, 84, a longtime resident of Kansas City, passed away in his home on Thursday, June 30, 2022.

Vic grew up in Casper Wyoming, where he and his sister Mary Jo Morrison were raised by their parents Marie and Joseph Poirier. Vic had a very special bond with his mother and was the inspiration for his love for cooking, which continued on after his retirement with his family reaping the benefit with his delicious feasts.  He was always responsible for a perfectly-cookedThanksgiving turkey. The Kansas City Star even ran a feature article on his culinary interests and skills with a full photo spread and story of Vic in his kitchen.

Vic’s love of the outdoors started with his father taking him out on camping, hunting, and fishing trips. This love of the outdoors stayed with him his entire life. He loved to talk about his trips tothe Wind River Valley and Jackson Hole. However, his favorite outdoor activity was alpine skiing. Although he did not start skiing until junior high, Vic quickly mastered both the slalom and downhill races. His love of skiing benefited Casper Mountain where he assisted with the installation of ski lifts in the area. Vic skied competitively in high school and for the University of Denver.  He won numerous ski races and proudly displayed those trophies at his home office. Vic’s children would listen to their father describe those great runs.  But by far their favorite times was during their annual family ski trip to Colorado and learning from the master.

As a young adult Vic was searching for meaning in his life and decided to pursue the monastic life and studied at the Dominican University in River Forest, IL from 1959-1966. There he earned a B.A. degree in Philosophy and then M.A. degrees in both Philosophy and Theology. During his collegiate years at the monastery, he developed his love of education and music especially guitar folk music. In 1966 he was ordained as a Dominican priest and then worked at several locations throughout the Midwest ultimately serving as Assistant Pastor at Holy Name Parish in Kansas City, MO. This is where his interest in community service developed. He worked to coordinate efforts to establish a citizen participation organization in Kansas City’s Model Cities Program. After 2 years in this role, Vic made a difficult decision to step down from the priesthood because he felt he could better serve the community as a lay person.

Vic then pursued a position with the City of Kansas City in the City Development Department where he first worked as Chief of the Social Development Division. In this role from 1970 to 1972, he coordinated an innovative approach to planning called Community Modular Planning. Vic then moved into a new position as Project Director of the Alternative Future Program for Greater Kansas City. In this role, he designed and directed the activities of this strategic policy planning program and represented the City of Kansas City on boards of directors such as the Mid-American Urban Observatory.

As he settled into life in the Midwest, he met the love of his life, Clare Meier. They fell deeply in love and were married. Vic and Clare settled in the Brookside area of Kansas City and raised 3 children, Michael, Emily, and David. The couple were married for 51 years and have greatly enjoyed guiding their children into adulthood and proudly seeing them raise children of their own.

In 1975, Vic left City Government for a Public Affairs position with Kansas City Power & Light (a.k.a., Evergy).  He was quickly promoted to the position of Manager of Community Affairs. In this role, Vic led the company’s community relations efforts including the following: the company’s social responsibility policy, corporate contributions program, and volunteer and community service activities. He served in this role until 1995 when he was, again, promoted to Special Assistant to the Chairman. In this role, he represented the company in numerous organizations, including the Boards of Starlight Theatre, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. In addition, he led major fund-raising efforts for a range of organizations including Science City at Union Station. Vic retired from Evergy in 2000 and received special recognition from the Mayor for 35 years of community service. However, he continued, to give back to Kansas City by staying connected through community service by helping to establish and run the Kansas City Tomorrow leadership training workshops, which trained future corporate leaders for community service. Through the multitude of organizations he helped start, run and support Vic’s efforts in community service is one of his lasting legacies that continues to this day.

Vic was a loving and dedicated husband and father who shared his love of cooking, skiing, hiking, camping, reading, and education with his family. He even continued to go skiing with his family until he was 78 years old! He was an extensive reader preferring non-fiction books about important historical figures including U.S. Presidents and important U.S. events such as the Civil Rights Movement. He remained committed to his Catholic faith throughout his life being actively involved in St. Peter Church and then St. James Parish. He was a philosopher at heart, who was always up for spirited debate and discussion on just about any philosophical or theological topic over a glass of wine, probably red. During his last 10 years of life, Vic battled Alzheimer’s disease, which slowly robbed him of memories and ultimately took his life. However, until the end, Vic enjoyed music, reading and visits from friends and family. He is survived by his wife, his 3 children, and his 8 grandsons.

A mass celebrating Vic’s life will be held on July 8th, 2022 at 10am at St. James Parish, 3909 Harrison, Kansas City MO 64110. A visitation will precede at 9am. Following the service, family and friends are invited to gather at Winterset Community Center, 2505 S.W. WintercreekDrive, Lee’s Summit, MO 64081. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Vic to Ascend Hospice, St. James Parish, or The Alzheimer’s Association.