Kathleen E. Kurtz Paci
Kathleen E. Kurtz Paci, 91, longtime resident of Dry Tavern, passed away peacefully Friday, October 5, 2018.
She was the wife of the late Arduino “Archie” Paci, who died in 2013. Her family was with her the last week of her life in Massachusetts, where she lived with her daughter.
Kathleen was born in Fredericktown, a daughter of the late Walter and Theresa Rech Kurtz. She graduated as an honors student from East Bethlehem High School and then attended Capital City School of Nursing at Galllinger Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she earned the Kober Outstanding Scholar award for the graduating Class of 1948.
Kathleen was a pediatric nurse at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh for several years, before returning home to Fredericktown to serve as an office and mining nurse. She later worked as a special care nurse at Greene County Memorial Hospital in Waynesburg, where she retired in 1991 after 23 years of service.
Friends and family of Kathleen will remember that she enjoyed classic novels, movies and musicals. She and Archie enjoyed gardening and canning all of the fresh fruits and vegetables from their garden. She was an avid Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates fan and loved playing cards with friends. Kathleen was a self-taught expert in the stock market and tracked the performance of her stocks proudly on a daily basis. She and Archie enjoyed learning Italian and travelling in their retirement. They also enjoyed the company of their circle of very good friends in the Dry Tavern area, hosting and attending parties for holidays and special occasions.
Kathleen is survived by three children, Frank Paci and his wife Fran of Milton, Ga., where she also resided for four years, Mary MacDougall and her husband Rod of Mendon, Mass., and John Paci and his wife Valerie of St. Louis, Mo.; a sister, Mary Martin and her husband Ken of Ohio; six grandchildren, Michael and Daniel Paci, Alex and Sarah MacDougall, Nick and Ellie Paci; and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by a son, Walter Paci and by her siblings, Louise Reiland, Dorothy Benlock, Walter Kurtz, Donald Kurtz, and Harold Kurtz who died on the USS Intrepid in WWII.
A memorial event for Arduino and Kathleen will be held in the spring in Pennsylvania.
Memorial donations in Kathleen’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
www.bumafuneralhome.com