Ann Mary Kurtz

Ann Mary Pfister Kurtz passed from this life on April 25, 2026 (one day short of her 92nd birthday) after having suffered from the effects of dementia the last four years. Ann was born on April 26, 1934, in Wheeling, West Virginia to Alfred and Ana Seeger Pfister. Her mother immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1926 and her father from Switzerland in 1914. A brother, Alfred K. “Al” Pfister, was born in 1936. Al would later go on to college, medical school and become a highly respected family practice doctor in Charleston, West Virginia. Her parents owned and operated a bakery in Wheeling. Ann would love to reminisce about baked goods her father made, especially during the holidays, and tell stories of people that worked there. She graduated from Wheeling High School in 1952 with High Honors. She went to Purdue University in Indiana, graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics in 1956. She would later go on to obtain a Master of Science Degree from New Mexico State University in 1979. While at Purdue, she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. Her family always enjoyed her stories of her dates and dating experiences while at the sorority. They were especially fond of listening to the story of when she would have three dates on Sundays – a church date, a lunch date and an afternoon study date. It would be awkward if one date was there waiting for her at the Sorority house while she was out on an earlier date. On December 29, 1957, she married Robert Warner Kurtz, a fellow Purdue University graduate, at Culver Military Academy Chapel in Culver, Indiana. Their one son, Robert Carl Kurtz, was born in 1961 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. She became a dutiful military wife, traveling throughout the country and the world, from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Fort Knox, Kentucky and Germany amongst other places. She loved the opportunity to see new places and experience new cultures, especially in Germany, since she spoke German excellently. Ann became a military widow when Major Robert W. Kurtz gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country on June 25, 1967, in Vietnam. She would remarry another military officer, but that marriage ended in divorce in 1983. She became a resident of Las Cruces in 1977 and loved the house that she lived in for 43 years on the north side of town. She made many friends in the neighborhood and knew the names of all her neighbors’ dogs. In 2020, due to her slowing down and inability to maintain a large house and pool on a ½ acre lot, she decided to sell her house and move to Roswell, New Mexico to be near her son Robert and his wife Joy. Ann was a big astronomy devotee and wished she had been born later so that she could have pursued a career as an Astronomer. She took numerous astronomy courses at New Mexico State University strictly for the knowledge. She had a thirst for knowledge and was an avid reader. She would watch calculus courses on DVD for the fun of it well into her 70’s. Ann got out and studied her college virology book when COVID happened in 2020. She also was a fan of nature and most animals (except cats). Over the years she had numerous dogs which she loved and pampered, from Princess her German Shephard, to Rebel and Bluebelle, her Miniature Schnauzers, then later in life her Fox Terriers, Polly, Trixie and Zoe as well as her Yorkshire Terriers, Lord McDuff, Pepper and Snickers. Preceding her in death are her parents, her husband Robert W. Kurtz and her brother Al Pfister. She is survived by her son Robert (Joy) Kurtz, granddaughter Allison Storms-Valdez (Ysai) and great grandsons Harvey Robert, Arthur Morgan, and Harrison Lee. Thanks to everyone at Spring River Care Center (formerly Mission Arch) in Roswell who took great care of Ann in her last years. Thanks also to Enhabit Home Health and Hospice for their additional support in her last months. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Anderson-Bethany Funeral Home and Crematory in Roswell. There will be no memorial service. Memorial donations in Ann’s honor can be made to your local animal humane society or wildlife organization of your choice. Ann will be interred at Fort Sill National Military Cemetery in Oklahoma with her husband, along with the cremated remains of her last three dogs for her to take along for one last walk around the block.

Ann Mary Kurtz

April 26, 1934 - April 25, 2026