Gerald Matthew Kurzava

Jerry Kurzava died on March 23 after a 10-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. Married to Diane Berant Kurzava for over 63 years, he was the father of Lynn (Bill Parsons), Julie (Tom Zielinski), Karen (Ruben Sagun), and Mark (Rebecca Kurzava). Jerry also leaves five grandchildren: Gabriela & Cecelia Sagun, Matthew Zielinski and Luca & Kai Kurzava.

Born at home in 1936 to Helen and Frank Kurzava, Sr., Jerry was the youngest of three brothers, including Frank, Jr and Jack. He grew up in Ferndale and Royal Oak, Michigan, and attended the University of Detroit, graduating with a degree in business.

As a boy, an older cousin taught him to hunt, leading to a lifetime of stomping through the woods with his beloved English Setters, and sometimes even putting food on the table. A true Michigander, he went deer hunting on November 15 every year for at least 50 years, with the exception of the year Mark was born and he had to arrive several days late (this did not go over well at home).

He was kind, generous, never complained, reasonably patient, and rock solid dependable.

Since his father managed a men’s clothing store in Royal Oak, Jerry always looked sharp. This made a deep impression on Diane Berant, a blind date who was a neighbor of his college friend. They met in 1961 and were married in October, 1962.

To fulfill his military service, Jerry was a reservist in the 301A Rescue Squadron out of Selfridge AFB from 1958-1964, working as a clerk. In September of 1962, his rather uneventful job took a turn when he crash landed on a sandbar during a training flight in Goose Bay, Labrador. His wedding went on as scheduled on October 13, and while he and Diane honeymooned in Puerto Rico, Jerry was conveniently unavailable for duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Jerry was soft spoken, had an incredible work ethic, and a dry sense of humor to go with his martinis. For a quiet person, he was an amazingly successful salesman, spending his entire 37-year career working for the same company. He started at McKesson right out of college in 1960, and was able to adapt to transformative changes in the workplace.

Jerry retired from McKesson in 1997 and spent the next 20 years or so traveling the world with Diane, visiting grandkids, helping with home renovations in Maryland, and spending many days hunting and fishing. For 10 years, he spent the month of October (and his wedding anniversary) in a cabin in the Upper Peninsula, trying to shoot grouse. Out of all the places he visited, he said that his favorites were Santorini (it’s beautiful) and Alaska (there are salmon).

Jerry lead an active life, and in addition to being an avid outdoorsman, was a dedicated middle aged runner, and even took up therapeutic boxing during his fight against Parkinson’s. Jerry had a quiet faith that showed up in action. A dedicated volunteer, he spent many hours serving in the St. Vincent De Paul Society at his parish church.

To put it simply, Jerry Kurzava was a good man. He will be appreciated and missed by many.