Obituary
O’Dean Leonard Kurtz, 53, of 582 NW Rock Creek, Port Charlotte, Fla., died Monday, Sept. 18 at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic church at Port Charlotte. Burial will be at Graceland cemetery, Webster City.
O’Dean Kurtz was born near Webster City Dec. 3, 1924, the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Eldo Kurtz. He was graduated from Webster City high school in 1943. In June 1943, he volunteered and enlisted in U.S. Marine Corps and served in personnel headquarters at Pearl Harbor. He was discharged with the rank of master sergeant. Following World War II he graduated from Iowa State college, Ames, in 1950 and received his master of science degree in entomology from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1955.
His marriage to Alyce Marie LaRoque was on July 5, 1947 at Holy Comforter Catholic church in Washington.
Following one year of teaching in Nebraska, he joined the Food and Drug Administration in Washington in 1951. He established his own office in Baltimore in 1963 and continued his career in his special field as a food consultant and cereal chemist. Five years ago he moved his laboratory and consulting office to Punta Gordo, Fla., and lived in nearby Port Charlotte.
O’Dean was named along with Kenton L. Harris of Washington as joint winners of the 1963 Harvey W. Wiley award, presented by the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, for their pioneering research and investigations in the field of analytical entomology. Their researches culminated in joint authorship of “MicroAnalytical Entomology for Food Sanitation Control,” the authoritative volume of analysis of insect contamination of foods and drugs.
His survivors include his wife Alyce; two sons; Thomas O’Dean Kurtz of Baltimore, Md., Jeffrey Kevin Kurtz of Port Charlotte; one daughter, Mrs. Edward (Lauramarie) Goldman of Miami; one grandchild, Erik Goldman; his parents, one sister, Mrs. Lewis (Bethine) Springman; and two brothers; Dr. Terrance O. Kurtz of Simi Valley, Calif. and Stephen E. Kurtz of Webster City. He was preceded in death by one brother Maynard.
He was a member of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Charlotte County Lodge 2153 of B.P.O.E. and the Port Charlotte Yacht club.
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, Webster City, IA - Oct. 17, 1978
O’Dean Leonard Kurtz was born Dec. 3, 1924 to Eldo E. and Laura E. Leonard Kurtz. He died Sept. 18, 1978 and is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Webster City, IA.
Sgt. Kurtz served during World War II with the U.S. Marine Corps in personnel headquarters, Pearl Harbor, HI.
Source: ancestry.com
