Louise Jayne

Louise Jayne Kurzet passed away peacefully on June 5 at the age of 97. She was born in Pittsburgh on June 30, 1927, to Reuel Curtis and Margaret May (Frye) Jayne. Raised in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Louise attended the University of Pennsylvania and earned her law degree at Yale Law School. At Yale she met her future husband, Chester (Chet) Kurzet. The couple spent many happy years together, traveling extensively, and both of them becoming Gold Life Masters at bridge.

Known professionally as Louise Jayne, she began her legal career at Sullivan & Cromwell on Wall Street. The couple soon moved to Oregon for Chet's health. Women lawyers were rare to nonexistent in Oregon at the time, making employment difficult. Undeterred, Louise served as Assistant Multnomah County District Attorney and later as acting DA before establishing her own law practice. Her legal accomplishments included arguing before the Oregon Supreme Court and the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. She especially enjoyed winning cases on behalf of Native American clients, and was particularly fond of the Klamath Tribe.

Louise is survived by her son Jay Kurzet, daughter Reuel Kurzet, Reuel's husband, John Moore, and two grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Klamath Tribes, inclusive of the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin peoples, in honor of Louise's commitment to justice and equality.

Please note on the subject line of check "Adult Vocational Education," and mail to:

The Klamath Tribes

attn.: Julie Bettles, Educ. Dir.

P.O. Box 436

501 Chiloquin Blvd.

Chiloquin, OR 97624

The Klamath Tribes are not tax deductible 501 (c) (3) non-profit, so donations are not tax deductible.