HERBERT KURTZ

KURTZ
HERBERT

91, died peacefully on October 10, 2017, in hospice following a lengthy decline due to Alzheimer's disease/vascular dementia. He was married for 60 years to Mae German Kurtz, the love of his life. His children, Marcy (Joe) Goldshear, Michael Kurtz, and Vicki Kurtz (Ben Manley); and his grandchildren: Jesse Goldshear, Robert Goldshear, Alyssa Kurtz, Miles Kurtz, and Rhys Manley respected his intellect, resilience, social values, and impeccable taste and benefit-ted from his broad interests in mathematics, business, current events, and the arts. Through-out his long and rewarding life, he was grateful each day for his excellent good fortune, and his entire family is likewise grateful for the life he provided them.
Herbert came from humble beginnings in West Philadel-phia, where he and his brother were raised by their maternal grandmother and widowed mother. He is predeceased by his younger brother, Jerome, with whom he shared many interests and friends through-out their lives. His high school education at Dobbins Vocational School was to lead him to a career as a draftsman, but the recommendation of a family friend as well as prodding by his aunt opened the door to a college education. With great fondness for the institution, he subsequently graduated from Temple Univ. in 1947 and Temple Law School in 1956. This education changed the trajectory of his life, but he never forgot where he came from.
Herbert spent the majority of his career as a chief executive with Rockower Brothers, Inc., a NYSE company, and Cynwyd Investments, a local real estate management firm. Both companies prospered under his leadership and benefitted from his skills as an accountant. Previous to Rockower, he worked for several accounting firms and then as a controller for two small retail companies. He remained proud that two of his three children also earned their CPA. The third and young-est child pursued a Ph.D. in Psychology which Herbert questioned, "why not account-ing?" until his death.
Using his vocational training, Herbert was a skilled crafts-man who built fine furniture and solved many plumbing problems for family and friends after work, still dressed in his suit and tie. Later in life, he took up an interest in wood turning, produced beautiful bowls, and enthusiastically participated in the Wood Turner's Association. He also enjoyed gourmet cooking (especially baking), travel, photography, and bicycling.
His positive, fearless, tenacious, and solution-focused spirit and his inordinate skillfulness in the face of any problem (personal or mechanical) as well as his strong values of honesty, fairness, and equality will be deeply missed by his family and those whose lives he touched.
Services and Interment are private. A gathering for family and friends will be held at the Kurtz home Saturday, October 14, from 1 to 4 P.M. In his memory, the family requests contributions to the following charities: Death With Dignity - www.deathwithdignity.org;
Alzheimer's Assn. - www.alz.org; The Center for Art in Wood -
centerforartinwood.org.

www.goldsteinsfuneral.com