JOHN KURTZ obituary

John A. Kurtz, 84, a Havre resident for more than years, died Sunday, July 3, 2005, at his home of natural causes.

A memorial service in John's honor will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Holland & Bonine Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Robert D. Grosch officiating.

Burial of his cremated remains will be held at the Veteran's Cemetery in Mandan, N.D.

John was born Aug. 31, 1920, in Devils Lake, N.D., to Casper and Louise (Keller) Kurtz. He attended schools in Devils Lake until he was 16 years old, when he joined the Civil Conservation Corps. In 1940, John joined the North Dakota National Guard and in 1941 he entered active duty with the U.S. Army. He was among some of the first U.S. Army soldiers to land on Guadalcanal along with the U.S. Marines 1st Division. While in the Army, John received four Bronze Service Stars and both an Army and Navy citation. John was honorably discharged in 1945.

On Feb. 14, 1946, John married Marie K. Olson in Devils Lake, N.D. They moved to Havre in 1955, where they remained for 10 years. During their 10 years in Havre, John worked for Buttreys and Valley Furniture Store. They then moved to Los Gatos, Calif., where John worked for the Cupertino School District for 18 years, retiring in June of 1983. They returned to Havre in 1996.

John was a member and past commander of the V.F.W., a member of the American Legion, D.A.V., Elks and Eagles.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Richard Kurtz.

Survivors include his wife, Marie Kurtz of Havre; sons, Robert Kurtz of Havre and James Kurtz of Rancho Cordova, Calif.; daughter, Ann Graham of San Lorenzo, Calif.; sisters, Elizabeth Herda and Wallie Klier of Devils Lake, N.D., Rose Hanna of Minneapolis, Minn., and Marian Keller of Grand Forks, N.D.; brothers, Balzer, Tim and Casper Kurtz, all of Devils Lake, N.D., Joe Kurtz of Bismarck, N.D., and Julius Kurtz of Campbell, Calif.; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Memorials are suggested to either the American Cancer Society or to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.

Arrangements are entrusted to Holland & Bonine Funeral Home.