~ IN MEMORY ~
PAA/DL Capt. Dale L.
Kurtz
June 26, 1940 – April 9, 2020
Notification with the passing of retired Pan Am/Delta pilot Capt.
Dale L. Kurtz, age 79. Captain Kurtz first joined Pan American
05-17-1960 and retired with Delta Air Lines, based NYC. He is survived by his wife Patricia, plus his
children and grandchildren.
Services will be held at a later date.
If more news is received, we can then pass it along.
Thank you,
~ Carol for the PCN
Obituary……………….DALE L. KURTZ
On Thursday, April 9 2020, Dale L. Kurtz of Bethlehem
Connecticut passed away unexpectedly at the age 79 at St. Marys Hospital.
Dale was born to Cyrus and Genevieve Kurtz of Rhinebeck, New
York. Upon graduation from Rhinebeck High School, he married his high school
sweetheart Patricia Ann (Taylor) Kurtz and attended Farmington State College
earning a certificate in Airframe and Powerplant. Together, Pat and Dale raised
three children, Jennifer, Kenneth and Russell. Dale loved his family dearly and
spent many hours with his children and extended family. He believed in service
to others and was extremely generous with his time and resources. He was a
life-long leader and volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America. After earning
the rank of Eagle Scout at an early age, he went on to inspire 9 other family
members to attain the achievement with many becoming Scoutmasters and
performing other essential leadership roles. For his work, he was awarded the
Silver Beaver, given only to a select number of scouts of exceptional character
who have provided distinguished service.
Beyond his family and service to others, flying was Dale’s
true love and he flourished in the field. He started with Pan American Airlines
in 1960 cleaning aircraft between flights, but quickly worked his way up,
becoming a certified mechanic, quality inspector, and later, after many hours
of private lessons earned the rating of Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor.
Rehired by Pan Am as flight crew, he started out as a navigator and held
positions as flight engineer, first officer and check pilot. He ultimately
retired as a Captain with Delta Airlines accumulating more than 30,000 flight
hours. Over the years, he flew many aircraft such as the 707, DC-9, L-1011,
727, 737, 747, MD80 and A310, as well as many civil aviation craft. After his
retirement in 2002, he dedicated his time to his church serving as the building
coordinator overseeing many major upgrades and to the Town of Bethlehem serving
on the Inland/Wetlands committee.
Dale is survived by his loving wife and three children
(Jennifer Clogston of Pike NH, Kenneth of Owasso OK, and Russell of Lebanon
OH), their spouses, 12 grandchildren, his brother (Bruce of Longmeadow MA), a
step brother and a step sister.
Due to the on-going pandemic, no services are scheduled at
this time, but a memorial service is being planned for later this summer. In
lieu of flowers, please contribute in Dale’s name to your preferred place of
worship. O’Neill Funeral Home 742 Main St Oakville has been honored to assist
the Kurtz family during this difficult time. Memories endure only if you share
them, so you are encouraged to leave a condolence, words of comfort or a
personal memory with the Kurtz family on Dale’s tribute page at www.oneillfuneralhome.com
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