Michael Kutzer

Kutzer, Michael. Michael's spirit traveled on to the Next Great Adventure on December 31 2024, at the age of 83. Michael is survived by his wife and partner, Susan; his cherished son, Christoph; his dear stepson and stepdaughter, Colin and Brynn; three beautiful grandchildren, Sophia, Recha and Julius; and many other much loved relatives and friends.
The family will hold a private burial on Wednesday the 22nd at the Natural Path Sanctuary. A reception will be held from 5pm to 8pm on Thursday the 23nd, at South Shore Gallery & Framing, 2627 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee. In honor of Michael's vibrant passion and humor of life, we would like the reception to be a celebration of him, and not a mournful affair.
Michael Kutzer was born to Gisela and Heinrich Kutzer. Inspired by his own father's art, Michael became a prolific artist, starting at the young age of 15 and continuing throughout his life, completing his final painting only weeks before his passing. Throughout his education and career as a teacher, Michael learned painting, printmaking, pottery, bookbinding and even bronze casting, and multiple languages but his passions were painting and printmaking, his body of works spanning everything from still-lifes to cemeteries, dolls to angels, to natural and fantastic landscapes, and still more. His joy for art and life always drew others to him, and he made many lifelong friends throughout the years, in the art community and simply in the community of Life. Later on, Michael discovered the diaries of Friedrich Wilhelm Heine, a panorama painter, which led Michael into the two worlds of scholarly translation and the brotherhood of the Schlaraffia, in both of which he met many dear friends. In the world of the Heine diaries, he rose as the preeminent translator of the difficult texts. In the Schlaraffia Milwaukia, Michael quickly rose from pilgrim to page, squire to knight, and then to lordship in a few short years, always enthusiastic to explore the history of the Schlaraffia and bring its traditions to life with his fellow Schlaraffan.
One theme that has always been consistent in Michael's life: death is a part of life. Life grows and changes and gives way to slow decay and death, only to be reborn again. Like the natural world around us, like the way history influences our present and our future. It is nothing to be feared, but to be explored and celebrated as a part of our existence. Nonetheless, Michael was treasured and his physical presence will be missed by all of us.
Thank you to all friends and family who have reached out to us and helped us in these difficult times. We cannot express how much your support and generosity has meant to us – it has been a blessing and has buoyed us through these last weeks. Thank you from the depths of our hearts.
'Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The veil of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass '