Obituary of Kenneth Kurtz

Kenneth Scott Kurtz< Born Aug 7th 1958, died January 4th 2010 Ken was a helpful and fun friend, a devoted father, a faithful loving husband and a blessing to all. Ken is survived by his wife Leeann Tourtillott; son Ross Kurtz, daughter Kayta Tourtillott, mother Lorna Kurtz, sisters LeAnn Kurtz, Lisa Kurtz, and Kathy Imig. His father, Harlan Kurtz, predeceased Ken. Ken was born in Fresno, California then moved to Napa at the age of 4 and grew up there. Ken graduated from Napa High in 1976, then from University of California in Santa Barbara in 1980. Ken worked his way through college doing construction work. He acquired his contractors license in 1983. After college he traveled, worked in construction, and in the salmon industry in Alaska. Ken was a world traveler making multiple trips to Europe, Asia, Alaska, and Mexico. Ken was an avid runner and cyclist doing marathon distances and 200 mile rides. Ken met his wife Leeann in Cordova, Alaska in 1981. He completed a postgraduate certificate in Energy Management and Design at Sonoma State University in 1984. Ken and Leeann were married in 1989. Their son, Ross, was born in 1992 while they lived in Napa. Ken, Leeann, and Ross moved to Olympia in 1994. Their daughter, Kayta, was born in 1996 at their home in Olympia WA. Ken worked for the city of Tacoma doing energy conservation work from June of 1994 until his cancer diagnosis in June 2006. From the time of diagnosis to his death, Ken focused his life on spiritual growth, spending time with his family, and cancer treatments. All who knew and loved him will miss Ken’s love of family and life, his passion for taking care of the environment, and being in nature as well as his playful sense of humor and unerring model of integrity and hard work. Rather than flowers, please send donations in his name to: Harmony Hill 7362 East State Route 106 Union, WA 98592 Phone (360) 898-2363 www.harmonyhill.org