John Kutzik

John was born at home in Montevideo, MN, on January 1st, 1936. He was one of four children born to Reinhart Michael Kutzik and Sarah Helen Weckwerth. Reinhart was born in Romania but came to the United States in 1920. Reinhart, Sarah, and Reinhart's mother spoke German, so John learned to speak German as well as English. John's mother died in 1945, and John's father remarried Zana Herrlich in 1946. Zana brought three children to Reinhart's four children and then welcomed a daughter.
John enjoyed drawing, climbing trees, building rafts, and exploring the nearby rivers. He learned to play football, baseball, basketball, and he ran track and ice skated. Athletic activities occupied much of his free time during the school year, but he also managed several paper routes, worked as a carpenter, and assisted a veterinarian in town for many years.
During his junior and senior high years, John took art classes which were rarely offered in small towns. He was the first student to achieve a National Scholastic Key Award in Montevideo for his paintings.
John received an athletic scholarship to Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN, but elected to go to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis because of its better art department. John majored in studio art with a minor in philosophy and history. He also played freshman and sophomore football for the U of M as a walk-on. John spent six years at the U of M, earning Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees.
John wed Georgianna Webb in 1961 and then accepted a position at Central Missouri State University in Warrenburg, MO. His first daughter, Kathryn, was born there. In 1965, he accepted a teaching position at Southern Illinois University in Alton, IL. In 1967, the Colorado State University Art Department asked John to join their ranks and he accepted. Their second daughter, Anna, was born in 1968. John and Georgianna divorced in 1970.
John was the CSU coordinator of the Vienna Secessionist Movement in Vienna, Austria, in 1978. He taught the summer school students there and toured Europe for three weeks afterwards.
John married Jennifer Carpita in 1982. They lived together in SW Fort Collins for 43 years. While John continued to teach Foundations painting and sculpture at CSU, they took many trips to conferences in the U.S and Europe, in their mutual disciplines. They both attended John's sabbaticals in Mexico and Europe. John brought the summer school students to Italy in 2001 and toured with Jennifer in Europe.
John successfully submitted his artwork to over 200 shows across the United States. He taught over 5,000 students during his 42 years at CSU. He retired from the University in 2009. Further information on his artwork can be found at https://hdl.handle.net/10217/195587.
John's retirement "Bucket List" included a trip to Alaska, a river trip from Amsterdam to Budapest, sailing up the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal to New York City, a visit to England with his son-in-law Paul (and Kathryn) Ireson, and a trip arranged by the Bukovina Society of America through Romania.
John's retirement activities included artwork, reading, exercise, and enjoying the company of friends. He worked with the Fine Arts Committee at the Foothills Unitarian Church and the Colorado Coalition of Artists. He also attended several painting courses.
John's daughter Kathryn writes: "My dad was a big thinker about abstract things, and ice cream, and beer, and German food, and food in general. He wouldn't wear cowboy boots, but he looked great in a hat. I love you."
John's daughter Anna writes: "Russian fairytales, the Bukovina, a rich, artistic mind traversed this earth seeking to document and record brushstroke by beautiful brushstroke. Forever remembered, deeply loved."
John was predeceased by his father, his mother, his stepmother, one brother, one sister, two stepbrothers and two aunts. He leaves behind his first wife, Georgianna Gault; his second wife, Jennifer Kutzik; two daughters Kathryn (Paul) Ireson and Anna (Kelly) Still; a step-grandson, Nick (Samantha) Ireson; a step-granddaughter, Abbie (Tom) Smith, two step-great-granddaughters; two step-great-grandsons; one sister, Roma Kutzik; one half-sister, Ellen (David) Pedersen; one step-sister, Lorna Kuno; several nieces; several nephews; and several great-nieces and great-nephews.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his honor to the Kutzik Family Scholarship (University of Minnesota Foundation, Endowment Fund No. 9161) at https://give.umn.edu. This Scholarship enables small town students to attend the U of M on an art scholarship. Contributions may also be made in his honor to Camp Voyageur (www.campvoyageur.com) where John was a craft counselor for two seasons.
Services for John will be announced in the Summer of 2026, and will take place at Foothills Unitarian Church in Fort Collins.