Herman Fletcher Kurtz Jr. passed away Sunday, November 1, 2020, after a brief encounter with cancer. He was born in Macon, GA, April 1, 1935. He grew up an only child of Kitty Burdett Kurtz and Herman Fletcher Kurtz Sr. He graduated from Decatur High School in Decatur, GA. Fletcher’s undergraduate and graduate degrees were from Vanderbilt University where he majored in Physics and Mathematics. His post-graduate studies were through the University of California at Berkley, UAH, and the CA, NASA Management Education Program and NASA Senior Executive Program. While at Vanderbilt, he was a member of ATO fraternity and on the fencing team. Also at college, he met his one and only Nancy Lassiter. They were happily married for 64 years. After a short stint in Panama City Beach, Nancy and Fletcher moved to Huntsville in 1958. There he worked for the U.S, Army Ballistic Missile Agency until NASA became established in 1960. In his 30 years at NASA, he worked on numerous Mercury, Gemini, Saturn and Apollo missions as well as Skylab, HEAO, international Space Station and the Space Shuttle at Marshall Space Flight Center. Fletcher was the director of Mission Operations Laboratory where he organized the laboratory and served as its first directory. He was the project manager and chief architect of the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC). After retiring in 1990, Fletcher went to work at Nichols Research / CSC where he was involved in super computing systems. He retired again in 1997 and continued to do various consulting. Fletcher bought a farm in 1982 and enjoyed raising Black Angus cattle. He was fondly known as the “Oleander Cowboy”. Fletcher and Nancy were both members of the Monte Sano Methodist Church and then later the Arab First Methodist Church where they enjoyed singing in the choir. His hobbies included fencing and sailing. He was also a supporter of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and the Huntsville Broadway Theatre League.
Nancy and Fletcher raised three children together. He was always involved in their various activities whether it was band parents, Boy Scouts leader, church youth groups, Band Booster club chaperone for trips, concessions stand worker. To his family Fletcher will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.
His parents and a son, Walter Kurtz, preceded him in death. Survivors include his wife, Nancy Kurtz; his son, Richard Kurtz; his daughter, Laurel Kurtz, all of Huntsville; and his grandsons, Fletcher Kurtz and Tristan Kurtz, both of Madison, WI.
Visitation will be from 11 am – 12 pm Thursday, November 5th, at Laughlin Service Funeral Home with a graveside service following at 12:30 pm at Maple Hill Cemetery with Pastor Steve West officiating.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to the Cancer Society or other favorite charities.
