Gerald “Jerry” Louis Kurucz

Kurucz, Gerald Louis ”Jerry”, 73
October 15, 1938 –October 5, 2012 Huntington Beach, CA
Jerry passed away at 6:30 AM with his family by his side. He was an outstanding father who was considered by many to be their best friend. He faced his battle with cancer with great bravery, strong spirit and good humor.

Jerry was born in Columbus, Ohio, graduated from Columbus South High School and proudly served as a US Marine. He worked as a tool and die maker for over 40 years, starting with Western Electric and later managed the tooling department at McDonnell-Douglas (Boeing) in Huntington Beach. Jerry enjoyed officiating football, basketball and softball. He also enjoyed watching sports with his family and friends, rooting for the Ohio State Buckeyes, New York Yankees and Boston Celtics. The greatest joy and most fun in his life was being a Grandfather. He loved spending time with his grandsons, watching Scott play football, and Jake play basketball and baseball, often with video camera in hand. Jerry also volunteered at their schools, and received a special recognition award by the City Council of Huntington Beach for his work to improve traffic safety for the students of Lake View School.

Preceded in death by father Louis, Jerry is survived by his mother Mardell, sisters Donna and Nancy, son Kraig, daughters Kayla and Kara, grandchildren Scott and Jake, wife Kate, and former wife Laeh. He will also be greatly missed by extended family Beth Mostovoy, Travis Gomez and Daniel, Chaundra and Nani Gomez, and by close friends Audrey Sheets and Gary Walton.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Be The Match, Boy and Girls Clubs, or the American Cancer Society.

Services will be held at St. Vincent De Paul in Huntington Beach on Friday, October 12 at 8:30 AM with a reception to follow. A viewing will be held Thursday evening at Dilday Brothers funeral home at 17911 Beach Boulevard, Huntington Beach, CA (714)841-1566.