Like many of you, I was shocked and devastated on hearing about the assassination of Charlie Kirk last week.

His tragic death has sparked a lot of commentary on his life and legacy.

Charlie Kirk has been lauded as a talented debater, a fearless free speech advocate, an energetic organiser, a patriot, and a man of faith.

He was also a husband and a father.

This is the part of Charlie’s story that hit me the hardest. He married his wife Erika around the same time my wife and I were married. And shortly after, he had a daughter, then a son, just like us.

I can’t imagine Erika’s grief today, and it’s heartbreaking to think Charlie’s kids will now grow up without their father.

Walking the Talk

Charlie Kirk was a huge advocate of marriage and children. It’s one thing to promote these values, and it’s another to live them out — to truly excel as a lover, protector, and provider.

By all indications, that’s exactly what Charlie did.

In the wake of his death, some touching videos have been making the rounds on social media that speak to the kind of father and husband Charlie was.

In one of them, Erika is introducing her husband before he speaks at an event. With a beaming smile, she explains:

Behind the podium, he’s a fighter. But behind closed doors, he is Daddy. He is the love of my life, and I find it so incredible that our children get to watch him be the man that God has called him to be.

Their deep love and chemistry are apparent in this video:

True love. pic.twitter.com/65AdTLKHYB

— Dominik Tarczyński MEP (@D_Tarczynski) September 17, 2025

In another video, Charlie’s daughter is sitting in his lap in the very restaurant where he and Erika first met, telling their love story.

This one’s worth watching in full:

Erika Kirk releases video on Instagram of Charlie Kirk explaining to their daughter how they met.

“… my favorite love story.”

Pray for the Kirk family 🙏 pic.twitter.com/mdn0GeKcNl

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 16, 2025

In another video that Erika posted to Instagram just two months ago, Charlie can be seen on the set of a TV studio, where his daughter is cheering him on a TV screen and runs to him for a hug once his interview has finished.

Along with the footage, Erika penned the following poem:

she saw him.
never as the speaker,
but instead her best friend.

and she ran,
tiny feet pounding the floor,
arms wide open,
like she’d been waiting
her whole life
for that one moment.

there are things I’ll never forget,
but this…
this is etched in a deeper place.

watching the man I married
become the anchor
of her little heart.
the one she runs to without hesitation.
her beginning and blueprint of what love is supposed to feel like.

he didn’t need to say a word.
he just knelt down,
wrapping her up in his arms
like she was the most precious thing he’d ever held,
because she is.

and I thought, this is it.
this is the sacred stuff.
not the milestones.
not the headlines.
but the in between moments
when love is quiet
and real
and right there
in front of you.

Thank you for being our everything @charliekirk1776

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by E. (@mrserikakirk)

Love and Service

Finally, I want to share with you some of the remarks that Erika gave following her husband’s death:

Charlie loved his children. And he loved me with all of his heart, and I knew that. Every day, I knew that. He made sure I knew that every day. Every day he would ask me, how can I serve you better? How can I be a better husband? How can I be a better father? …

He was the perfect father. He was the perfect husband…

Charlie always believed that God’s design for marriage and the family was absolutely amazing, and it is. It is, and it was the greatest joy of his life.

Charlie was the BEST husband, father, and friend that I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.

“Every day he asked me, ‘how could I serve you better, be a better husband, be a better father?”

God Bless Charlie Kirk. pic.twitter.com/xTNJsKYUT0

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) September 13, 2025

Charlie Kirk has inspired a lot of people to do a lot of things — first through his life, and now by his death.

What inspires me most is his standout role as a husband and a father.

May I leave the same kind of legacy.

___

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.