Joan W. Kurtzman

Joan Wilhelmina Kurtzman was welcomed into heaven on July 6, 2020. She was born December 13, 1928, in Lansing, MI. She was the daughter of John and Wilhelmina Simmer and sister to Virginia (Grider), Lois (Revers), and John Simmer, all predeceased.

Joan met Donald A. Kurtzman while he was attending Michigan State University and they were married June 18, 1949. They spent their first decade of married life in Louisville, KY, Tiffin, OH, Wilmington, OH, and St. Petersburg, FL as Joan supported Donald’s career in the hotel industry. During this time, their first five children were born: Mark, Christopher, Timothy, Ann, and Scott. By 1961, they had moved to Catonsville, MD where Michele and Gregory were born.

Joan was a loving wife, mother, and caring friend to many. She was an active member of St. Mark Catholic Church in Catonsville, MD for 59 years.

Through the years, she enthusiastically supported her seven children with their studies and all their sporting activities. As their children married, the family grew to include 21 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren, all who cherished the love and guidance that they received from their grandmother/great grandmother.

Starting in 1974, Joan began a nearly 40 year period of volunteering at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore where she helped in the maternity ward and emergency room. When she retired, she had one of the longest records of volunteering at the hospital.

Joan is predeceased by her husband Donald with whom she celebrated 70 years of marriage in June 2019, before he died on September 26, 2019. She is also predeceased by her son Mark Kurtzman (2008), daughter-in-law Kim Arline Kurtzman (2003), grandsons Mark Greenfield (2001) and Benjamin Zgorski (2016), and great grandson Patrick Brooks (2019).

Joan treasured her family, friends, and her faith. She was an active and attentive mother and grandmother who loved playing with her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed the ocean and lakes or just swinging in a hammock, especially with her grandchildren.

Joan and Donald were blessed with the opportunity to travel through the years. Their adventures took them throughout the USA, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe. They inspired their children and grandchildren to explore the world.

Heaven has received a treasure. We commend her soul to God.

In remembrance, donations may be made to St. Joseph’s Nursing Home in Catonsville, MD or Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.

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