Posted by Joe Gilbreth on June 20, 2005:

Maurice Keyes Kurtz, Jr., died peacefully at home in Satellite Beach, Florida on Friday, May 20, 2005, with his family around him. He was 77. Born June 4, 1927 at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, Maurice grew up as an Army brat, moving from post to post. His father took him tank riding and taught him how to spot ammunition duds. He said his mother didn't want to know what we were up to. She often said Maurice never gave her a minute's trouble. Maurice, known as Monk to many friends and Daddy to his three kids, led a wonderfully rich, full life professionally and personally. At eighteen, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1949. He later earned a master's degree from the University of Illinois and a doctorate from Purdue University. After a twenty-eight year military career, he retired as a colonel and settled in Satellite Beach, Florida, where he became a professor of civil engineering at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. During retirement, Maurice pursued his passion for genealogy, became a mentor to others, and enjoyed quality time with friends and family. He lived with Parkinsons disease for twelve years with remarkable strength, courage, and grace. He leaves a family who will always love him very much: Barbara, his wife of fifty two years; his son, Maurice III of St. Petersburg, Florida; his daughters, Rosalie Peterson of Aurora, Ohio and Roxanne of Medford, Massachusetts; and four grandchildren, Susan, Karen and Michael Peterson and Jennifer Kurtz. Friends may attend a memorial service to be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, June 4th, at the Friendship Fellowship at Pineda, 3115 Friendship Place, in Rockledge. Friendship Place is on the west side of U.S. Route 1, approximately 1/2 mile north of Suntree Blvd. Memorial donations may be made to the Parkinsons Support Group of Brevard, c/o Elaine Jensen, 4586 Wood Stork Drive, Merrit Island, FL 32953; the Memorial Fund, Friendship Fellowship at Pineda, 3115 Friendship Place, Rockledge, FL 32955; or a favorite charity.

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