News · Detroit
Capitol flags fly at half-staff Thursday for Jack Kirksey, Livonia’s 16-year mayor, a four-term state representative and an Air Force veteran
LIVONIA — U.S. and Michigan flags in the State Capitol Complex in Lansing will fly at half-staff on Thursday, Nov. 5, in honor of Jack Kirksey, a former Livonia mayor and four-term state representative, under an order Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued Wednesday.
Kirksey died in October at 97, the Detroit Free Press reported. The flags are to return to full staff on Friday, Nov. 6, according to the governor’s office.
“Representative Kirksey was a dedicated public servant who served his community admirably in the U.S. Air Force and the state House,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Michigan has lost an exceptional leader, and we will continue to honor his legacy for years to come.”
Kirksey was born in 1928 and grew up on Detroit’s east side, according to the governor’s office. After graduating from Wayne State University, he taught in the Detroit Public Schools and later became a principal in Livonia Public Schools. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War and in the reserves, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He entered public office in 1977 and served four terms in the Michigan House of Representatives, then sat on the Schoolcraft College Board of Trustees before serving 16 years as Livonia’s mayor.
As mayor, the governor’s office said, Kirksey led construction of the Livonia Community Recreation Center, established the Fallen Heroes Memorial at Nehasil Park and helped build up the business corridor along Haggerty Road.
The order covers flags within the State Capitol Complex. Under the protocol the governor’s office spelled out, flags are first raised to the peak for an instant and then lowered to half-staff, and the process is reversed when they are taken down for the day.
Sources:
Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, “Gov. Whitmer Lowers Flags to Honor Former State Representative and Livonia Mayor Jack Kirksey” (Nov. 4, 2026; order, dates, quote, biography), https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2026/11/04/whitmer-lowers-flags-to-honor-former-state-representative-and-livonia-mayor-jack-kirksey
Detroit Free Press, “‘I truly love Livonia.’ Former Mayor Jack Kirksey dies at 97” (Oct. 14, 2026), https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2026/10/14/former-livonia-mayor-jack-kirksey-dies/92246784007/
Photo: Dwight Burdette, “Livonia Recreation Center Livonia, Michigan.JPG,” Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0), cropped and resized, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Livonia_Recreation_Center_Livonia,_Michigan.JPG
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