Northampton, MA – Stephen Kurtz, age 83 of Northampton, MA, passed away peacefully on April 10th, 2026 surrounded by family. Stephen was born in 1942 in Philadelphia, PA to singer/performer parents, Jacob and Mae Kurtz. His beloved “little” brother, Alan, came along in 1944. Alan and Steve lost their mother in 1948 and that became a defining event in their lives. Their maternal grandparents stepped in to raise them in Woodbine, NJ and provided ongoing love and affection. It is the influence of Steve’s parents that began a lifelong passion for music. Steve was in the marching band in Junior High School and began playing the saxophone which would become his instrument for the rest of his life.
Alongside music, Steve’s uncle Richard exposed him to a love of nature exploration, a passion that included 40 terrariums of reptiles kept in his grandparents’ basement. Bushwhacking night and day, hiking, camping, and swimming lasted a lifetime. Getting lost in the woods was a theme for anyone who hiked with Steve.
Always with a strong political and moral compass, Steve opposed the war in Vietnam. After graduating from Rutgers University, he obtained deferral status by joining the Peace Corps in Brazil from 1964-66. By this time, Steve was already fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. He returned from Brazil to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and led a group of undergraduate student interns on a summer trip to Brazil. This was a defining moment for Steve as he met Claire, the love of his life and his wife for over 48 years. The subsequent birth of their two children, Corey and Michael, completed their family and situated them in Western Mass. They lived in Pelham since 1975 in their cherished old 1800s “farmhouse.”
Claire and Steve obtained their Masters in Education at UMass-Amherst and were co-founders of the Holyoke Street School, an innovative high school for young people struggling with academics. From there, Steve continued his career as a teacher in the Springfield public schools, focusing on students with learning challenges. After retiring from the public school system, Steve worked with diverse immigrant communities, helping them learn English while often using music as a tool in his teaching.
His passion, talent and knowledge of mainly jazz music was far-reaching in the Valley. A room in their Pelham home was the “music room,” Steve’s sanctuary where he practiced his horn daily and regularly had bandmates over to jam. Although both playing and knowledge of all music was extensive, Brazilian music and jazz were his favorite genres.
Illness impacted the family in 2012 when Claire was diagnosed with a rare cancer. She lived for another four years and during this time, Steve was a steadfast, constant and loving partner to Claire. Amidst these life-altering challenges, he was able, with Claire, to celebrate the loving marriage of Corey to Uri Strauss. They welcomed their first grandchild, Danny, in 2015 which brought incredible joy to them and then Steve embraced the birth of Lila, his second wonderful grandchild.
Around 2022, Steve began a challenging several years of illness. Never one to easily submit to physical restrictions, he pushed to the limit his love of life. He continued, whenever possible, hiking, walking his sweet dog Ruby and always playing music. Throughout these years, he received loving care from his family, as well as a group of caregivers who not only attended to his physical needs but also provided the food that he loved and tried to give him the space to be as independent as possible. His last few years were spent at Rockridge Retirement Community in Northampton, MA where he made new friends with residents and staff.
Steve is survived by his son Michael, daughter Corey, son-in-law Uri, grandchildren Danny and Lila, brother Alan and sister-in-law April, sister-in-law Paula, nieces and nephews, Rafi and Julia, Brooke and Eric and girlfriend Simone.
A celebration of Steve’s life will take place on Sunday, June 14th at 2pm at the Shutesbury Athletic Club.
Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes