John H. "Jack" Kirchner

John Howard “Jack” Kirchner of West Des Moines, age 91, died at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines on Thursday, April 24, 2025.

Jack was a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology who counseled many troubled children at the Des Moines Child Guidance Center and Orchard Place while also training and mentoring new psychologists. In retirement, he returned to his first love by substitute teaching at area high schools. He was an avid reader and delighted in learning languages, becoming fluent in five. He could recite poetry he learned in grade school and entertained his grandchildren by singing silly songs while taking them on adventurous daytrips to museums around the Midwest. He was an expert gardener, relished trips abroad, enjoyed foreign films and loved all animals, especially cats. He cheered for Northwestern University and the Cincinnati Reds. He never met a carbohydrate he didn’t like and he cherished a stein full of stout German beer. He was a true academic and intellectual who would have chosen to be a professional student if only his wife would have allowed it. She never let him forget that he was such a nerd he read the dictionary on their honeymoon.

Jack was born to John and Anita Smith Kirchner in Clifton, New Jersey on December 28, 1933. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in History at the University of Illinois. His two Master’s degrees, in German and Educational Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Psychology, were from Northwestern University. When he taught high school, one of his students was Ted Kaczynski, the infamous “Unabomber.” After Kaczynski’s arrest, the FBI showed up to question Jack about him. Jack was drafted into the Army twice, interrupting his studies both times. Because of his language skills, he was sent to Stuttgart, Germany to be an interpreter for General George Patton’s son. The second time, he was stationed at Ft. Devens outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Jack and Nora Kuehne both skipped their graduation ceremony at Northwestern University on June 16, 1956 to get married instead. Their son John Douglas “Doug” was born the following year. Jack was a Psychology professor at Illinois State University from 1964-1971 and was also the head of the Student Mental Health Center there. These were turbulent times on college campuses and during one particularly lively protest, Jack was assigned to wade into the melee and persuade the student body president to come down from the top of the flag pole. Jack conducted and published impactful research and even corresponded with B.F. Skinner about each other’s findings. Jack became the Chief Psychologist at the Bowling Green (Ohio) Mental Health Center. He opened a Mental Health Center in Muscatine, Iowa and then was the Director of the Mental Health Center in Newton (Iowa) before moving on to the Des Moines Child Guidance Center where his specialty was psychological testing.

Jack was preceded in death by his beloved son Doug, his parents, his in-laws Rudolph and Alice Kuehne, and his sister-in-law Pat Kirchner. Jack is survived by Nora, his loving wife of nearly 69 years; grandchildren Courtney Alice Kirchner of Des Moines, John Theodore “Teddy” (Heather) Kirchner of Ft. Worth, TX and John Joseph “Joey” Kirchner of Ft. Collins, CO; great-grandchildren Jude Spath of Des Moines and Olivia Kirchner of Ft. Worth, TX; daughter-in-law Mandy (John) Easter of West Des Moines; brother Barry Kirchner of Peoria, IL; sister-in-law Margaret “Peggy” Kuehne (Doug) Taylor of Kensington, MD; three nieces, one nephew and several grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Jack adored his family. When his four-year-old great-grandson was asked who his best friend was, he replied, “Jack.”

A visitation will be held at Hamilton’s Funeral Home, 605 Lyon Street, Des Moines, on Saturday, May 17th, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Breakthrough T1D (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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