Pat Kurtz

Patricia Kurtz (nee Pulliam), age 87, of Union Lake, passed away peacefully on June 12, 2025. Pat was born on January 15, 1938, in Washington D.C. She grew up and went to school in Silver Spring, MD. And spent summers in Colonial Beach, VA at her family’s cottage, where she loved catching crabs with her Aunt Mary for the family gatherings every Friday evening. Pat married Don Kurtz on August 26, 1958, and claimed that she loved him every day that they had together for 64 years. Our family lost Don in March of 2023. Pat’s early work life included a stint as an administrator for NASA at the Goddard Space Center in the late 1950s and as a legal secretary in the early years of her marriage. She was a ground-breaking working mom who attended Oakland Community College and then Walsh College where she received her BA in accounting (magna cum laude). She became a CPA and worked at Touche Ross for many years in downtown Detroit. She left her position there as Tax Manager to join Plante and Moran in 1985. She was the fourth woman at Plante and Moran to become a partner. She retired from Plante in 2000. She was proud of helping to break the glass ceiling of the male dominated world of accounting. She served on many organizational boards and was appointed to the State Board of Accountancy. She was especially proud of the years she spent as a trustee for her alma mater, Walsh College.

Pat is survived by her sister Beverly (Walt); her daughters, Pam, Beth (Brad), and Lisa (Toni); and her five grandchildren, Haley (Pat), Joe (Hannah), Franny (Galen), Anna (Tyler) and Pheiv.

Pat will be remembered as one of the kindest humans to ever walk the planet. Her husband Don often commented that he did not believe she had a mean bone in her body. She loved her friends and was fiercely loyal to those she cared about. She loved crossword puzzles, playing bridge and reading. Sitting on a beach with her feet in the sand, a book in her hand surrounded by family was the height of happiness for her. Pat was especially loved for her incredible sense of fairness, joy to be included in the jokes that Don told, and for the love she willingly gave to everyone in her family. She will be deeply missed.

A celebration of life is still in the planning stages and will likely happen in the fall. If you would like to do something in Pat’s memory, memorial contributions may be made to the Walsh College Foundation Fund https://foundation.walshcollege.edu/give-now/