Theodore "Ted" Elliot Kurland

Theodore “Ted” Elliott Kurland, 80, passed away on December 20, 2024, in Houston, Texas, from a sudden stroke. He died just ten months after his devoted wife of 41 years, Sue Kurland.

Ted was born on April 18, 1944, in Wilmington, Delaware, to Abram and Ida Kurland, the youngest of three children. He grew up with his siblings, Ralph and Sandy (Kurland) Cooper, in a family that shaped his loyalty, resilience, and deep sense of responsibility.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware (Class of 1966). Wrestling was a defining part of his early years, culminating in a collegiate state title in 1963. But Ted was never built for one lane. As he later wrote:

“I was not satisfied with the engineer’s pragmatic and formulaic view of things… Soon after graduating, I started a journey in self-discovery and self-expression… it was the visual arts that made me feel most comfortable and at home.”

He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and continued his development through years of studio work and classes, including at the MFAH Glassell School of Art in Houston. Over more than 50 years, his painting evolved from figurative and “en plein air” work to abstract acrylic on canvas, where he found his truest visual voice.

Ted moved to Houston in the late 1970s to be closer to his brother. In the mid-1980s, during Houston’s economic downturn, he made a courageous career pivot into education. He earned a Master of Education in Mathematics Education from the University of Houston and devoted the next chapter of his life to teaching middle and high school math and science in both private and public schools.

Teaching became a calling. Ted believed deeply in student potential, especially when students struggled to believe in themselves. He ran after-school programs such as MathCounts, supported clubs, helped launch wrestling initiatives, and taught with patience, creativity, and persistence. Former students returned years later to tell him how much his belief in them mattered.

At home, his creativity showed up everywhere: woodworking, furniture building, home renovation, science fair help, costumes, and practical problem-solving. He converted his garage into a woodworking shop, and after retiring from full-time teaching in 2013, transformed that same space into his art studio.

Retirement did not slow him down. Ted continued tutoring students across grade levels in math and science, read constantly, studied new ideas, and painted with relentless purpose. As he once wrote of studio life, “every day I paint something good happens.”

He also had a rare love of language. He kept an evolving vocabulary list, chased precision in words, and defended truth with conviction, curiosity, and humor.

As a father, Ted showed love through action: time, perseverance, guidance, and presence. He was not the father who pushed a script, but he was fully engaged in what mattered to his children. Whether he was an audience of one for Andrew’s sleight-of-hand magic tricks or a swimming buddy to Lisa, he showed up.

Ted’s legacy lives on in the art and craftsmanship he created, the students he mentored, and the family he loved wholeheartedly.

He is survived by his children, Andrew Kurland and Lisa Kurland, who—alongside his art—were his greatest pride and the center of his life.

A memorial service celebrating Ted’s life will be held at Garden Oaks Funeral Home and Crematory (Dignity Memorial), 13430 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77083, on February 13, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.