Erika Kirk Marked 1st Birthday Since Charlie's Death With Throwback Video

Erika Kirk (née Frantzve) celebrated her 37th birthday with a throwback video of her late husband, Charlie Kirk.

“I always loved celebrating you, and maybe because it was a reflection of how beautifully you always celebrated me,” Erika captioned an Instagram video on Thursday, November 20. “I romanticized growing old with you, the love of my life. I used to wonder what our faces would look like with wisdom-wrinkles.”

She continued, “You’d always tell me how you hoped I’d keep my long hair even when we were both gray and also that I’d always wear white (because it was the color you loved me wearing the most). We’d laugh about how you’d probably still be out on college campuses in your 80s, doing ‘Prove Me Wrong’ campus events because you loved those students.”

Erika remembered how she and Charlie would tear up “when talking about our babies growing older and having a family of their own.”

Erika and Charlie, who wed in May 2021, shared two kids. (Erika revealed during a recent interview that she hoped she was pregnant with baby No. 3 when Charlie was killed.)

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She continued her caption noting that they hoped to have “a full life” together.

“Today, I find myself, in some way, still romanticizing growing old with you, just in different locations,” Erika wrote. “So as I blow out candles this year with an ache so deep I pray no one ever has to feel it, I’m reminded that each day, each moment, each birthday … you’re with me. Not in the way I once dreamed, but in the way God has mercifully allowed.”

Charlie died on September 10 at age 31 after being shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. A 22-year-old named Tyler Robinson was arrested in the wake of Charlie’s death and charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Erika’s birthday post featured several video clips of her and Charlie throughout their relationship.

“Thank you to everyone who made this day so special. I have no words. All the texts. All the calls. All the letters. All the flowers. I feel so deeply loved,” she concluded. “To all of the @tpusastudents your videos were so healing to my heart, to my @turningpointusa family, to my dear friends, literally all of you, your presence in my life is divine and I’ll never ever take it for granted. God bless you all.”

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Following Charlie’s death, Erika took over his role as the CEO and chair of the board of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics in schools.

“Today we are facing such a test, yet we also know that God has prepared us with everything we need to overcome this ordeal,” the organization’s board shared in a statement on September 18. “It was the honor of our lives to serve as board members at Charlie’s side. Charlie prepared us all for a moment like this one.”

The statement continued, “He worked tirelessly to ensure Turning Point USA was built to survive even the greatest test. And now, it is our great pride to announce Erika Kirk as the new CEO and Chair of the Board for Turning Point USA.”