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To make a transformative difference for leukemia research at Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan.

An extraordinary bequest from the estate of Harry Kirk Denler will make a game-changing impact on leukemia research at Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan. The $15 million gift will go toward supporting investigations into enhanced diagnosis, treatments and cures for pediatric and adult leukemia, led by Corewell Health’s Research Institute (RI).

“All of us at Corewell Health are profoundly appreciative of the kindness of Harry Kirk Denler who chose to include us in his estate plan and give a gift of such magnitude – all to promote the kind of research that will change and save lives,” said Lamont Yoder, RN, president of Corewell Health East. “It is a testament to his generosity of spirit and desire to change the world for the better.”

Harry Kirk Denler passed away in 2002 from leukemia at what is today known as Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak. After providing support for his late wife, Barbara Miriani Denler, who passed away in 2023, the remainder of the estate came to Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan this year.

“We are deeply grateful to the late Harry Kirk Denler for his remarkable generosity and compassionate commitment to helping others,” said Ryan Daly, president of the Corewell Health Foundation Southeast Michigan. “This gift will transform leukemia research and will improve the lives of patients at Corewell Health and beyond who have battled this devastating disease. Mr. Denler’s gift is yet another example of the continued partnership between the community and Corewell Health, working together to provide the very best care for our patients.”

Ben Robinson, Denler’s cousin once removed, said, “Kirk wanted to make this gift because of the care he received. He didn’t have children, and he wanted his wife cared for. But after that, he wanted the rest of his estate to go to the William Beaumont University Hospital. It was an aspirational gift. He wanted to help find a cure for leukemia so that others would not have to suffer from what he went through.”

Robinson remembers Denler as a “great connector,” someone who was an only child but came from a large extended family and made it his mission to hold them close. A graduate of the University of Michigan law school, he never practiced and instead managed real estate in Southeast Michigan and Northern Ohio. He lived in Palmer Park in Detroit, in the home he grew up in, and was an active member of both the Detroit Golf Club and the Detroit Athletic Club.

Denler’s compassion and generosity toward others will make an immediate difference for the physicians and scientists at Corewell Health’s Research Institute. “This gift is contributing significantly to the future of Corewell Health cancer research,” said Dr. Richard Kennedy, senior scientific director for the RI. “We will focus our efforts initially on pediatric leukemia because much of that framework is in place and then transition into adult leukemia and eventually, the transitional phases between pediatric and adult leukemia.”

This contribution will cover the full spectrum of investigation into this devastating disease that affects more than 500,000 Americans who are currently living with or in remission from the condition. “We are profoundly grateful for this support and will do our best to honor the hope and spirit in which Mr. Denler’s commitment was made,” said Dr. Kennedy.   

Media Contact: 
Chris Morrisroe, Corewell Health Foundation Southeast Michigan
248-770-4527, chris.morrisroe@corewellhealth.org