Stephen Craig Kurtz

Surrounded by his family in a quiet, peaceful setting, Stephen Craig Kurtz breathed his last on 25 March 2023, in Peoria, IL. He passed too soon, at the age of 68. It was lymphoma that took him.

Craig Kurtz was a cardiologist by profession, but always a farmer at heart. Raised on the family farm near Fisher, in spirit he stayed bound to the values and the pathways of small-town Midwestern life. Little brought him greater pleasure than feeding his cows at the barn and seeing corn on their noses.

Craig loved his wife, cherished his children, and adored his grandchildren. The affection he had for his pets was matched only by the loyalty of his golden retrievers. Firm in his faith and obedient to the end, he was devoted to the Lord and grateful for God’s faithfulness. Soft in words and quiet in deeds, he set an example of Christian life to those around him.

His memory is preserved with warmth and fondness in the family who survives him: his wife of 48 years, Pamela née Oberhelman; his oldest daughter, Sarah Dufendach, and her husband, Kyle, together with their four children, Connor, Sydney, Caleb, and Carter, all of St Louis, MO; his son, Paul, and daughter-in-law, Rebecca Van Hove, of Ghent, Belgium; and his youngest Rachel Kurtz and her husband, Justin Wesley, with their son Gabe, of Mahomet, IL.

Private services were held near the home farm. Memorials may be gifted to his Sunday school benevolence fund at Lincoln Christian Church (204 N McLean St, Lincoln, IL 62656), with reference to Craig Kurtz. Though he will be deeply missed, his memory will live on.