Prominent Springfield contractor dies at 83

A Springfield contractor who was involved in the construction of several prominent Queen City structures died March 27. He was 83.

Tom Wirt, who retired in 2000, opened a Springfield office in 1964 for Wichita, Kan.-based Dondlinger & Sons Construction Co. Inc. and in 1974 started The Wirt Corp., according to his online obituary at Klingner-Rivermonte.com. He later was involved with Wirt-Flavin Construction Co. Inc., which now is known as Flavin Development Corp., according to Missouri secretary of state records.

According to his obituary, Wirt’s construction project resume includes:
    •    Hammons Tower;
    •    the Zenith and 3M plants;
    •    Cox South;
    •    the Southwest Cleanwater and Blackman Water Treatment plants;
    •    the Central Assembly of God sanctuary;
    •    Missouri State University facilities; and
    •    Dillons supermarkets.

Wirt also served over 30 years as a board member for the Springfield Contractors Association, including three terms as president.

Prior to entering Springfield, Wirt was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for which he helped construction radar and rocket-launching facilities at the International Geophysical Year in Churchill, Canada, according to his obituary.

Wirt was preceded in death by his wife Betty Mae and is survived by his daughters Kathy Luginsky and Beverly Flavin and sons James and Kenneth Wirt.

A service is scheduled 2 p.m. April 2 at the Klingner-Cope chapel at 4500 S. Lone Pine Road, followed by a burial at the Rivermonte Memorial Gardens.