July 31, 1938 - May 19, 2023
The services celebrating and honoring the life of Donald E. Kurtz, 84, of Goltry, will be held 3:00 PM, Friday, May 26, 2023, in the Brown-Cummings Funeral Home Chapel with Chaplain Gary Miller officiating. Complete cremation care and services are under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home.
Don was born July 31, 1938, to Ralph and Gladys (Wegner) Kurtz in Rogers, Arkansas and passed from this life May 19, 2023, surrounded by family in his home in Goltry, Oklahoma.
As a teenager, Don, along with his family, ended up in Ukiah, California where he graduated from Ukiah High School in 1956. After high school, the family relocated to the Central Valley of California where he met Georgia Irene Porter.
He married Georgia January 24, 1959, in Caruthers, California. Three years later he was drafted into the United States Army where he spent most of his time in Germany. After returning home from the service he began his career at Valley Nitrogen Producers, a fertilizer plant in Helm, California. While working as a supervisor at VNP, he also bought and sold cars, horses, saddles, 3 wheelers, motor homes or anything we could enjoy before he sold it. Traveling in a motorhome was always a highlight.
In 1965 they began their family with Grant Dion, Kelly Leon and Tami Renae.
In 1979 Don retired and moved the family to Enid, Oklahoma to be near his family. Don was a hard worker with a dedicated work ethic and a love for classic cars. Never too old, he enrolled in a 2 year course at Vo-Tech Autry where he studied auto body.
He also had a love for his grandchildren. Anytime they would visit the “Rocking Horse Ranch” he would fire up “The Beast” and drive them down the dirt roads looking for little critters and telling some very interesting stories along the way,, sometimes those stories would be a little scary, especially when he used flashlights in and around old barns at night.
Famous songs he would sing are, Going To The Dump Dump, On The Road Again, & Riding Through The Desert On A Horse With No Name.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Georgia Kurtz, their children Grant & Chris Kurtz, Kelly Kurtz, Tami & Sam Randolph and many more who were considered family.
Grandchildren are Megan, Cameron, Morgan and Miranda Kurtz Micale, Hayden and Kassidy Kurtz Zack, Jake & Josh Randolph and many more considered grandchildren. Great grandchildren, Malachi, Michaela and Bailey. Also survived by his sister, Jan Smith and brother in law Kenneth Heim
He was preceded in death by his parents Ralph & Gladys Kurtz, brother Leroy (Sunny) Kurtz, sister Eva Heim and brother Charles “Chuck” Kurtz.
Memorials may be made in his honor to the Enid SPCA or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital with Brown-Cummings Funeral Home serving as custodian of the funds.
Obituaries are posted, in part, due to the generosity of The Commons.
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