Charles James Kurth

Dr. Charles James Kurth, also known as Charlie, Ching, Carlos and Gramps, passed away peacefully on January 8th, 2025 in Ukiah, California. A physician, partner, father, grandfather and reader, Charles held as many roles and identities as he did nicknames. He was born on July 20, 1930 in Brooklyn and raised in a Lutheran parsonage alongside five siblings of whom two, Beba Freya and David Kurth, survive him. As a young person he searched for his footing in the world and found it in medical school at Indiana University and eventually specialized in physiatry.

A family followed and his children Mark Kurth, Ann Kurth and John Kurth remember his legacy. Charles shared different stages of his life with partners Sylvia Daniel Kurth, and Phillip Hardison. Much of his career was dedicated to running the rehabilitation program at AdventHealth Orlando Hospital. He also leaves behind his surviving grandchildren - Aden Kurth Kahr, Amanda Kaye Kurth and Maya Isabella and Sarah Anula Kurth.

Place was a crucial component of Charles's life. In retirement he found a home by the shoreline in New Smyrna Beach and later settled at the Frey Vineyard ranch in Ukiah, where he bottled wine and nurtured a wide network of friends. All along the way he carried with him an acerbic wit and dry humor informed by struggle but also hope and resilience. He devoured The New York Times every morning, always keeping abreast of current events, and loved the Bard, Keats and Dickinson. He treasured travel and exploring the world, often noting when an adventure began, "off we go in a cloud of sheep dung!"

Not afraid of death, he understood that "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" but also that "Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need of hell." May his memory bring comfort to those who knew him in times when the loss is felt the greatest. In accordance with his final wishes and in a full circle moment for a med student who prepared bodies in anatomy labs, his physical body has been donated to the UCSF Willed Body program. As such there will not be a service. But his spirit, humor and courage live on in the many hearts he touched. May they hold both grief and relief, hell and heaven and most lasting, love and gratitude.

For a photographic snapshot of Charles' life created by the Frey family, click here:

https://youtu.be/gmcidZp5wsE