Norman F. Kurtz
Norman F. Kurtz was born Sept. 25, 1927, and passed away Jan. 10, 2014, in Missoula.
Norm was all the stories and views of who he was — a musician, serviceman and journalist; any job one can think to do at a ski area — marketing, skier; a sailor, golfer, pilot, photographer, father, radio host — and again one heck of a musician.
Born in Seattle, the second son to Gus and Vida “Toots” Kurtz, Norm had a childhood of adventure, music and hard work. His stories of childhood years thrill us to this day. His older brother, Harold, was his music tutor, his nemesis, his brother, and in later years, his dear friend.
He was an entertainer from his early days, playing dance jobs at all sorts of establishments. His love of music went hand in hand with his quick wit and humor.
Norm was also a veteran, serving our country in the Navy during World War II, and later as a Marine during the Korean War.
He met his wife, Carolee, in Seattle, and not too long after, they married, then moved to Whitefish. Simply seeking good skiing, they fell in love with the young ski area and the town, and were hooked. They made Whitefish their home for over 50 years, raising a family and immersing themselves in the growth of Big Mountain and Whitefish.
At the Big Mountain Resort in Whitefish, Norm fought hard to make it a success under the tutelage of his former boss and friend, Ed Schenck. He had a vision, along with Ed, of what the mountain and Whitefish could be in the tourism industry. He was instrumental in bringing the first timeshare condominiums to Montana, with the Alpinglow Inn. Norm was also actively involved on the Montana Board of Tourism and the Montana Ski Area Operators Association,
It always amazed us how the pieces of his life connected. His ties to the railroad and his time at the Seattle PI allowed him to connect the ski area to the railroad. This began a new chapter on Big Mountain with tourists arriving on ski trains from Seattle to Minneapolis and St. Paul. While visiting St. Paul, he attended the St. Paul Winter Carnival. After returning home from St. Paul, he and a few of his great friends wrote the original script for the Whitefish Winter Carnival. He figured that folks from town could use some midwinter revelry and bring folks down from the mountain to partake in Whitefish! He worked hard to make it a partnership between the mountain and the Valley.
Summers would find him on the water or in the air. He loved the sailboat races on Wednesday nights and also took many trips to the San Juan Islands to sail about there, with family in tow. He earned his pilot's license and bought a plane and that was a new love!
He served for many years on the Glacier Park International Airport board and worked very hard to bring in flights from Canada in the early days of Big Mountain. This connection with Canadian flights brought in more tourism through the creation of “Ski Weeks.”
After leaving Big Mountain, Norm started his own marketing business. Ski areas, credit unions and even the tourism industry benefited from his marketing. His voice was well known around the Flathead Valley, and he was famous for his “on hold” messages at the Whitefish Credit Union.
He was a people person. He loved to be around groups and take care of them. Entertaining with his quick wit, music and humor, he rarely left people without a smile on their faces.
Over the past few years, the dread disease Alzheimer's dementia stole many of those great memories. Fortunately, we were able to share them back to him, always for a smile or a laugh and before the disease really took hold he wrote the book, “Chair One.” The disease was never able to steal his great sense of humor, his desire to entertain and care for people, or even his ability to play the piano. He was well known in his home as a great musician and entertainer.
Norm was preceded in death by his parents; his older brother, Hal; and his wonderful wife, Carolee; who was his sounding board and partner for 51 years.
He leaves behind four children, Lisa Kurth of Kent, Wash., Peter Kurtz of Anaconda, Gretchen and Val Murray of Missoula, and Joni and John Wootton of Kuna, Idaho; and six grandsons, Brandon, Logan, Galen, Alexander, Zachery and Christien.
“So many memories and so many wonderful friends he had made throughout the years! This is such a small sample of the memories we have from our dad and thank him and you for sharing in his adventure!
A life well lived, a song well played, a smile well placed!”
A memorial service is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Garden City Funeral Home, West Broadway, Missoula.
In addition, a celebration of life will be held in Whitefish later this year.
Memorials may be made in his name to the following: Alzheimer's Association (alz.org); Whitefish Ski Museum, (http://www.fvsef.org/p/museum.html); or Museum of Mountain Flying (http://museummountainflying.org/)
Condolences and memories may be left for the family at www.missoulafuneralhomes.com