Paul Stoltzfus Kurtz

Paul Stoltzfus Kurtz passed away on March 12, 2025, at Fairmount Homes at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife Lydia (Sensenig), children Paulson (Shirley), Pearl (Eric Bruker), Phillip, and Phyllis (Eric Ulrey), as well as seven grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother John of Snow Hill, MD, sister Caroline Plank of Bremen, OH, and brother Calvin (Esther Mae) of Elverson, PA. He was preceded in death by his parents C.J. and Elsie Kurtz, brother Elam (Orpah), sister Lena Carpenter (Sidney), and brother Chester (Catherine).

He was born on April 29, 1930, in Elverson, PA on a dairy farm. He attended Lancaster Mennonite School where he met his wife of 74 years and graduated in the class of 1947. He got his bachelor’s from Albright College in Reading, his master’s from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, and his Ph.D. in psychology from West Virginia University. He was a psychology professor at Central Michigan University in Mt Pleasant, MI, a psychologist at the Mt Pleasant State Home and Training School, and administrator at a home for severely and profoundly handicapped children, the Hattie Larlham Foundation in Mantua, OH.

He and Lydia retired at Elizabethtown, PA where they attended Elizabethtown Mennonite Church. They later moved to Fairmount Homes in Ephrata, PA and attended Hinkletown Mennonite Church, the church where they were married. After his father passed, Paul got “bitten by the genealogy bug” and joined Amish and other groups in the task of restoring the Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead, which was scheduled to be demolished.

A memorial service will be held at Hinkletown Mennonite Church, 2031 Division Highway, Ephrata PA 17522, on April 5 with visitation at 10:00 and the service at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to the Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead Preservation Committee (NSHPC) at 1700 Tulpehocken Road, Wyomissing, PA, 19610.

Groff High Funeral Home in New Holland is entrusted with the funeral arrangements.