KURT DULDNER

DULDNER--Kurt P.

Kurt P. Duldner died peacefully surrounded by his family on December 3, 2015, one month shy of his 93rd birthday. Born on January 9, 1923 in Vienna, Austria, Kurt's carefree boyhood abruptly came to an end in 1938 with the Nazi invasion of Austria. Like thousands of other refugees, Kurt's journey to freedom and survival took him through the European underground to Brussels and France. Traveling with his older cousin, sewing and selling leather bags for pocket change, they traveled to Marseille, where they boarded a boat to Shanghai, one of the few places that accepted refugees without a visa. There they were reunited with Kurt's family and joined the community of 25,000 Jewish European refugees who had fled Nazi persecution. While in China he worked for a chemical trading company, which laid the groundwork for what would later be a successful career in the United States. When the Communist government came to power in 1949, Kurt, unable to find work, moved to New York CIty. There he met and married his first wife Ida. Together they had two children, Marianne and Laura. Kurt's love of life knew no bounds. Beyond being a devoted and generous family man, he had the incredible gift to be able to connect with all sorts of people in various walks of life: befriending countless colleagues, taxi drivers, workmen, elevator men, and hat check ladies. An inimitable force, he brought life to any party and a smile to those he met. He had a long and successful career and was widely known and respected by his many friends for his business acumen, considerable intelligence, lively wit, and infectious sense of humor including his hilariously botched sayings such as "we will come to that bridge when we get there," "grab the horn by the bull" and "get me off the hooker." Kurt never forgot his love and gratitude to the Chinese people. He was instrumental in erecting a commemorative plaque in Shanghai thanking the Chinese people for creating a safe haven for the Jewish refugees. Whether traveling the world, skiing the slopes of Aspen, playing an intense tennis match, or enjoying the symphony and opera, Kurt's love of life knew no bounds. And in keeping true to his Viennese roots, no meal, whether served in a four star restaurant, or a salami sandwich, was complete without a glass of fine wine and a good piece of chocolate. He shared his love of life with the family he cherished, his beloved wife, Anne Foster Duldner, devoted daughters Marianne and Laura, dear son-in-law Steven Sherman and treasured granddaughters Lilli and Nicole. With a twinkle in his eye and that knowing grin, he enriched the lives of everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. Dear, sweet Kurti, a life well lived.