Robert Kirkland died on Saturday morning in Union City , Tennessee , from kidney failure complications . An entrepreneur and philanthropist who built a national chain of home decor stores and donated $ 100million has died at age 77 . Robert Kirkland , who founded the home decor store that bears his last name , died on Saturday morning in Union City , Tennessee , from complications stemming from kidney failure . Kirkland , who founded Kirkland 's home decor stores with his cousin Carl in 1966 , donated the money to found the Discovery Park of America education center and tourist attraction in Tennessee . Kirkland 's expanded into a chain of more than 300 locations in 35 states . His son Chris said : 'He was a man who loved learning and was always curious about how things worked . 'Discovery Park was really an extension of that curiosity and wanting to instill in children and adults a continued craving for knowledge and understanding . ' A memorial service is scheduled for Wednesday at Discovery Park , which will be closed to the general public on that day . Kirkland , who founded the home decor stores with his cousin Carl in 1966 , expanded the chain exponentially . He donated millions to found the Discovery Park of America education center and tourist spot in Tennessee . Kirkland was born in Newberry , South Carolina , but he lived in Union City for much of his life . He grew up the son of retailers who owned and operated a Ben Franklin five and dime store . The Kirkland cousins also founded CBK Ltd , which shipped gift and home decor items to customers around the world from a distribution center in Union City , population 11,000 . By the late 1990s , Robert Kirkland and his wife Jenny had sold their business holdings and began to concentrate on philanthropic efforts through the Robert E and Jenny D Kirkland Foundation . One of those projects was Discovery Park of America , which opened in 2013 . Housed in a futuristic-looking , gleaming-white structure built in a rural field in Union City , Discovery Park has exhibits about natural and regional history , dinosaurs , Native Americans , energy , transportation , science , the military and space flight . An earthquake simulator causes the floor to tremble , a 120-foot glass observation tower offers stunning views and a 50-foot metal replica of the human body includes a 32-foot slide . The 50-acre complex also boasts an old train depot , a century-old church , a rotating grist mill , antique tractors , log cabins and flower gardens . Discovery Park attracted about 300,000 visitors in its first year and it continues to add exhibits and attractions on the strength of Kirkland 's $ 100 million donation . Discovery Park of America opened in 2013 and is housed in a futuristic-looking structure in a field in Union City .
Kirkland died Saturday from complications stemming from kidney failure . He and cousin Carl Kirkland founded Kirkland 's home decor stores in 1966 . They expanded stores into chain with more than 300 locations in 35 states . He donated money to found the Discovery Park of America education center and tourist attraction in Union City and it is still expanding today . Memorial service will be held on Wednesday at park , which will be closed .