Charlie Kirk was killed on September 10 in Utah at the age of 31, and now more details about his family are coming out, including about his younger sister Mary, who is 29. She has worked in art, and her path was very different than her brother’s career in politics.
Back in high school, Charlie was already the odd one out politically in the Chicago suburbs, but Mary was with him for a time. She even joined the Wheeling Young Republicans in 2011. That changed in 2015 when she met Bernie Sanders and later said: “#tbt to when I met Bernie a year ago and had no idea who he was and now he is the light of my life.”
Mary shared pictures with Sanders and also posted about the moment a bird landed on his podium at a rally, writing: “I was the bird.” Friends say her politics never damaged her relationship with her brother. Mike Miller, a longtime friend of the family, said: “Her politics are her business.” He also mentioned he had not seen her in five years.
Others close to the Kirks said there was never a real rift. Gary Rabine remembered: “Charlie didn’t disown anyone, and they didn’t disown him. He loved having those debates, even with family. That’s the example we should follow.” Their parents Robert and Kathryn are described as private and neighbors in Prospect Heights are so protective they will call police if reporters show up.
Mary finished school at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2019 with a degree in art history. She works as a gallery assistant and runs her own art consulting business called Kirk Art Services. Online she has shared a few progressive posts, including one that said: “mood towards patriarchy.” Another called for support of the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana that lost funding during the Trump administration.
While Mary followed art, Charlie built Turning Point USA into a big conservative group. He often leaned on his family, especially his grandmother Patricia Smith who died in 2019 at 96. Miller said: “She might have been his biggest supporter.”
Friends also described Charlie as loyal beyond politics. Ecan Draim said: “He was unbelievably loyal to all his friends.” Draim remembered first telling Charlie he was gay and said Charlie was supportive. After learning of his death, he texted his old number: “I said, Rest in peace, brother. We were two young kids with young dreams. And you changed the world.”
People close to the family say that even though Mary went a different direction, Charlie welcomed those debates and never let them divide them. They say it was part of who he was and part of his legacy.