William "Mr. Bill" Kurtz

Funeral service for William "Mr. Bill" F. Kurtz, 85, of Hoyt Lakes, will be 10am Friday, July 15, 2011 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Hoyt Lakes with Pastor Barbara Hegfors officiating. Visitation will be Thursday from 5-7pm with a Masonic Service at 6:30pm at Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home in Aurora and will continue for one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial with military honors accorded by the Aurora/Hoyt Lakes Color Guard will be in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Aurora. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the East Range Hospice or the Aurora Food Shelf. Mr. Kurtz died Sunday, July 10, 2011 at his residence. He was born Aug. 6, 1925 in Hennepin County, MN to William and Anna (Trnka) Kurtz. He enlisted with the US Army during WWII, serving in the European Theater. Following his military service, he returned to Minnesota where he worked as a postal carrier in Hopkins until his retirement on Jan. 3, 1989. On Nov. 20, 1993 he married Anna Cook in Hopkins. In 1998 they moved to Hoyt Lakes where Bill was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, the American Legion Post 241 and the East Range Lions. He was also a member of the Biwabik Masonic Lodge, the Biwabik Order of the Eastern Star and a life member of the VFW Post 425 in Hopkins. He served as past seam squirrel of the COOTIES in Hopkins, was past master of the Albert Pike Masonic Lodge in Hopkins, a two-time past patron of the Ida McKinley Order of the Eastern Star and as a member of the Lions, he received the Helen Keller Award. Survivors include his wife, Anna, children, Connie Kurtz of Chanhassen, Julie (Tom) Norton of Bloomington, Barbara (Steve) Scharfenberg of Chanhassen, Bryan Ann Johnson of Aurora and Billy Cook of New Mexico; grandchildren, Matthew and Katherine Norton, Ellen, Daniel and Max Scharfenberg, Roger Johnson and Virginia Rogers; five great grandchildren; brother, Robert (Marcia) Kurtz of Hopkins and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Frederick, sisters, Margaret Ahrens and Marie Ahrens, first wife, Arlyn (Blunt).