Elizabeth Stuller Kirk, 50, of Chicago, Illinois, passed away at sunset surrounded by loved ones on January 20, 2026, after a 17-year battle with breast cancer.

Liz Kirk grew up in Lubbock, TX, among the booms and busts of the West Texas oil industry with a large extended family, spending every day with her cousins at the family business. A member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, she finished at the top of her high school class. Liz was always ambitious and wanted to be Diane Sawyer, not realizing she had a thick West Texas accent. Liz was one of few people in her class to go 'away' for college, all the way to Trinity University in San Antonio. Never having been north of the Mason-Dixon line, she chose grad school in Minnesota because it was the best healthcare program in the country. After grad school, she moved to Chicago with her fiancé who died tragically only a few months later. She spent a few years in Houston, then agreed with a friend in med school to move wherever the friend found residency. Expecting to live the 'single city life', she was introduced to her husband, Brian, on her first weekend in Chicago. There she married, raised her beautiful child, Dylan, and lived a life she loved immensely for 22 years.

Liz was an avid runner and particularly loved running on Lake Michigan at sunrise. She completed countless races, including two marathons. But her athletic passion was skiing, always channeling Lindsay Vonn when she would scream down the runs woo-hooing at the top of her lungs. It sparked a sense of pride when Dylan grew to love skiing and they could tackle the mountain together. Liz also loved home projects and interior design and worked hard to make her home beautiful. Most importantly, she loved spending time with people, often by using her beautiful home to host parties - whether it was a casual Friday night, smoking a brisket or sharing fondue at a theme party, she loved to entertain, always embracing "OTT Liz" (over the top). Always gregarious and smiling, she wanted to feel joy with people she loved, even if she had just met them. Although her story telling was circuitous, the stories were always engaging and entertaining, punctuated by ensuring every character was referenced by first and last name.

Liz was genuinely fun and unapologetically herself in every context. She was smart and confident and ambitious, but warm, inviting and quick to laugh – a spirit that defied summation. A fierce and loyal friend, she treasured all of her relationships and made space to spend easy time with people she loved. Inspirationally positive and upbeat, she hardly complained, regardless of the unfairness of her cancer or the toll it took on her physically.

Liz was passionate about healthcare and quickly established herself as a leader in the industry, starting in consulting with Deloitte, GE Healthcare, and Accretive Health. She moved from consulting into a more strategic role at Northwestern Medicine. After five years at NM, Liz was recruited away and found her passion creating and growing multiple new products and businesses in healthcare software with Strata Decision Technology, where she quickly became a senior leader in the company. After 10+ years with Strata, she made her first move into the startup world to become the COO at Tapestry Health and then spent her last year founding and funding a healthcare software venture as Chief Revenue Officer of VIA Health, officially launching the company just a few months before she passed. Liz was often recognized as a thought leader in the industry appearing on podcasts and panels, even publishing a book, but she found special joy in mentoring young people in their careers, just as others had done for her.

Liz's leadership was overshadowed only by her enthusiasm for her work and her desire to fix a broken healthcare industry. But her enthusiasm for work never overtook her passion for her family. Liz always made time to be there with and for her family, supporting and nurturing them so they could be their best selves. She could be counted on equally to perform a rock show in the living room or help work through the problems of the day. But sitting around eating BBQ and 'telling funnies' at Christmas was where she thrived.

Having received her first cancer diagnosis just 4 months after having her first child, she didn't flinch. She pushed through surgery and treatment, never setting aside her new mother duties for even a day. She glowed and doted on her baby enjoying every moment. Liz was determined never to let cancer stop her from doing what she wanted. She simply folded it into her life like anything else she had to do. It wasn't ignored, in fact she talked openly about her disease and did so with humor. For 17 years it was something to take care of, like folding laundry or getting an oil change. Nothing more than an inconvenience, not something to change your life for. Liz was decisive and knew the life she wanted to live. She wanted to do everything in life and do it well, and nothing was going to stop her.

Liz is survived by the countless people who loved her including her husband of 20 years, Brian Kirk, and the kiddo she adored, Dylan Kirk (17). She is also survived by her father Stephen Stuller, mother Kara Sagebiel, step-father Nolan Sagebiel, sister Jennifer Stuller, aunt and uncle Stephanie and Tim Compton and the first cousins she grew up with, Sean and Justin Compton and the new cousin she loved, Justin's wife, Julie Compton, as well as the Hamman Family and the Goodwin Family.

Liz gets one more party. Please join us to celebrate her life:

Date: Friday, Jan 30, 2026

Location: The Chicago Club, 81 East Van Buren Street, Chicago, IL 60605

Time: Join us for all or part of the celebration between 3pm and 7pm (remarks at approximately 5pm). Kids and teenagers who loved Liz or the Kirks are welcome.

Attire: Liz loved color and fashion, so wear your brightest colors to celebrate her.

Please feel free to forward to others who loved Liz.

If you have photos of Liz that you'd like to share, please text them to Brian at 773-294-5811 or email at kirkbsk@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation: https://lynnsage.org/donate/