Werner Kurzbuch
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 8A - December 7, 2011
Werner Kurzbuch, 79,
Grand Junction, died Dec. 5,
2011, in Grand Junction.
Services will be 1:30 p.m. Dec.
13 at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.
Graveside services will be 3 p.m.
Dec. 13 at Veterans Memorial
Cemetery of Western Colorado.
Mr. Kurzbuch was a mechanical
engineer.
Survivors include his wife,
Frieda Kurzbuch of Grand
Junction; and one daughter
Karen Martha Kurzbuch of
Venice, Calif.
Memorial contributions can
be made to the Paralyzed Veterans
of America, 12200 East
Illiff Ave., Aurora 80014, or the
American Heart Association,
fi le 3097, P.O. Box 60000, San
Francisco, Calif., 94160.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5B - December 9, 2011
Werner Kurzbuch was born in
Berlin, Germany on July 10,
1932. He died at his home in
Grand Junction, CO on December
5, 2011.
As a boy, he lived through the
horrors of World War II, left his
homeland behind in 1953 and
immigrated to America with his
parents. He joined the U.S. Air
Force during the Korean Conflict
and was honorably discharged.
Werner earned his Degree in
Mechanical Engineering at City
College of New York and joined
Exxon Mobil. His career there
spanned over 30 years. During
this time he was based in New
Jersey, Texas, Canada, Cape Cod
and Louisiana applying his mechanical
engineering skills to a
wide variety of projects ranging
from very large projects (e.g., the
design, construction and start up
of new Exxon Mobil plants) to
small customers looking for a
little equipment advice. Werner's
expertise was highly sought after
in the plastics industry where he
helped the manufacturers of plastics
fabrication equipment create
and implement improved designs.
In the course of his career,
Werner visited just about every
n o o k a n d c r a n n y o f N o r t h
America as well as Europe and
Japan where plastic products are
made and along the way, to quote a dear Exxon friend and colleague,
"He garnered the good friendship and respect of all those
fortunate enough to have worked with him".
Werner married Frieda, a New York City girl, in 1963. They became
the proud parents of their only child, Karen, and together they
shared a truly good and happy life. Family always came first for
Werner, and not only did he care for Karen and Frieda, but his
in-laws joined the family as well, when they all moved together to
Louisiana in 1975.
Werner would always be grateful for the opportunities this country
offered to him after having left war-torn Germany. With Frieda, he
chose to retire to the Western Slope surrounded by the Bookcliffs,
the Grand Mesa and the Colorado National Monument. Not many
days went by that he did not comment on its beauty. In retirement,
the engineer took up oil painting instead of a slide rule, as well as
golfing and skiing again. Werner considered himself a lucky guy
who appreciated the gifts of his life.
He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Frieda and his daughter,
Karen of Venice, CA, as well as several relatives in Bavaria, Germany.
Memorial contributions may be made to: Paralyzed Veterans of
America, 12200 E. Iliff Ave., Aurora, CO 80014, American Heart
Association, File 30947, PO Box 60000, San Francisco, CA 94160
or the Grand Junction Symphony, 225 North 5th Street, Grand
Junction, Colorado 81501.
A memorial service will be held for Werner at Callahan-Edfast
Mortuary, 2515 Patterson Rd, Grand Junction, CO on Tuesday, December
13, 2011 at 1:30 p.m., followed by a graveside service at
Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado in Grand Junction
at 3:00 p.m.
