WESTFIELD – Rita M. Kurty (1929-2024) died on October 13th, 2024, peacefully and with her family by her side, at Baystate Medical Center, Springfield. She was 95 years old. She lived a long and happy life in her community, surrounded by people she loved.
Devoted wife and mother, she leaves her son, Jack, daughter, Carol, and many nieces and nephews. For 57 years Rita was married to John Kurty, a well-known and highly respected coach and mentor at Ludlow High School and Westfield State University, who died in 2012.
Rita Kurty was an exceptional teacher, encourager, and trusted friend to many, most especially her family. The many people she knew and the elementary school students she taught in a long and successful career will remember her compassion, kindness, and pursuit of excellence. She was much loved and admired.
Rita enjoyed an interesting, engaging, and active lifestyle in retirement. A lover of literature, history, the arts, travel, her pets, and observations of the natural world, she was passionate about experiencing the fullness and beauty of life each and every day.
Her abiding strength of character, optimism and keen eye for humorous situations added immensely to conversations in her schools and in a variety of settings where she volunteered – Noble Hospital, the Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield polling locations during elections and serving as a member of the Westfield Historical Commission. She will be greatly missed by the many people whose lives she touched.
Rita will be buried with her husband, John, in the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam. Services will be private.
To honor her legacy of teaching and learning, love of life and service to others, a scholarship fund has been created to expand access to undergraduate higher education for students from Westfield, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory should be made out to: “CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars” (with her name noted on the Memo line of the check), P.O. Box 382, Westfield, MA 01086-0382.
