Ellen E. Kurtz

Ellen E. Kurtz, age 81, of Topeka passed away Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at her home in Topeka. Ellen was born May 19, 1938 in Philadelphia, PA at a hospital founded by Benjamin Franklin. Her father, Alton C. Kurtz, then taught in a medical school founded by Benjamin Franklin, and her mother, Edith (Bowman) Kurtz, was a former teacher. Miss Kurtz attended Oklahoma City public schools and earned a B.A. degree from McPherson College, McPherson, Kansas and a master’s degree in education from Washburn University in Topeka. She taught in Topeka Public Schools from 1959 – 1964 and 1966 – 1980. In 1964, she entered Brethren Volunteer Service, a predecessor of the Peace Corps, and served in a community center in South Bend, IN. The following school year and for three summers, she was a volunteer teacher at Piney Woods School in Mississippi. For 17 years, she was a salesperson for a fabric retailer, serving at various times as head of crafts and sewing machine departments. She was a life member of the National Education Association and an active member of the Rochester Community Church of the Brethren in Topeka.

She is survived by two sisters, Nancy Kurtz of Kansas City, Kansas and Dorothy Longmire of Halstead, KS; a niece, Lisa Cooper of Louiville, Kentucky; a nephew, Ed Longmire of Halstead, Kansas; two great nephews and a great niece.

Funeral services will be Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at the Davidson Funeral Home. Interment will be at the Halstead Cemetery at a later time. Memorial contributions may be made to Rochester Community Church of the Brethren or to Piney Woods School, Piney Woods, MS, 39148 and sent in care of the Davidson Funeral Home. davidsonfuneral.com.