BIOGRAPHY

Edna Louisa Kurtz was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States on 16 July 1913. The eldest of five siblings born to parents Leonard and Annie Ellington, she had four younger sisters and one younger brother. In June 1927, she received a a certificate of graduations from Rutland Public Schools; three years later, she received a diploma from the stenographic department of Worcester Business Institute. Following her graduation, she began her career at Melville Shoe Corporation, where she worked as a comptometer operator in the accounting department.

In 1931, she married Edmund Perry Joslin, and the couple had two sons, although they were only married for four years before Edmund’s death in 1935. In 1940, she married her second husband, Edward Kurtz, and had one son with him. During her second marriage, she left her job at Melville Shoe Corporation to become a housewife, and did occasional volunteer work in addition to raising her children. The family would frequently travel, and enjoyed hiking, kayaking, and sailing throughout the state of New England. Following the death of her husband in 2003, she moved from Connecticut to Lombard, Illinois, where she remained for the following 21 years. She was a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team, and received a visit from the team’s mascot, Southpaw, to mark her 110th birthday in 2023.

Edna Kurtz passed away in Lombard, Illinois, United States on 18 April 2024, at the age of 110 years, 277 days. She is survived by eight grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Stefan Maglov, and was validated by LongeviQuest on 9 May 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* Edna Kurtz Obituary – Neptune Society, April 2024

GALLERY