Burglar killed doing what he loved

Services will be held on Monday for Mark Lawrence Kirby, a former prison inmate and drug tester. He was killed earlier this week doing what his friends say he loved the most: sneaking into houses while residents slept and stealing as many of their valuables as he could.

“Mark liked all sorts of stealing, really,” said Ronnie Biron, a friend and former accomplice. “When we were young, we’d steal bikes and he really got a kick out it. Years later, when we were on meth binges, we’d sometimes cover our faces and rob people in parks at night. We had a pretty good time with that. But oh man, Mark really loved breaking into people’s homes while they slept, and stuffing all of their precious shit into a bag. It made him feel, you know, closer to others.”

Kirby was mortally wounded when a homeowner awoke to find him creeping toward her, police records show.

“Life is short,” Biron said. “You gotta do what you love because you never know when your time is going to come. Mark understood that better than anybody.”