Morris J. Kurle
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Morris John Kurle, lifelong resident of Bowdle, died Friday, October 15, 2021 at the age of 94. His funeral service has been scheduled for 2:00 pm on Friday, October 22 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bowdle with Rev. Timothy Daub officiating. The organist will be Ellie Daub and Blake Eisenbeisz and Doug Larson will serve as ushers for the service. Interment, with military graveside rites by the Bowdle American Legion Post No. 264, follows at the Bowdle City Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at the Lien Funeral Home in Bowdle on Thursday, October 21 at 4:00 pm, concluding with a prayer service at 6:45 pm and at the church for one hour prior to the service.
Morris John was the youngest of five children born to Jacob and Rose (Gross) Kurle on October 23, 1926. He graduated from Bowdle High School with the class of 1944 and enrolled for the summer and fall terms at South Dakota State University where he majored in engineering and played on the SDSU basketball team.
In March of 1945, Morris was inducted into the U.S. Army. He completed basic training at Camp Robinson in Arkansas before traveling to Fort Ord in California to board a ship traveling to the Philippines, Okinawa and, ultimately, to Pusan in southern Korea. Morris was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean when the U.S. dropped the first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima and, three days later, a second bomb on Nagasaki.
In Pusan, Morris was assigned to Special Services where he assisted with the publication of the division newspaper and, later, worked in radio broadcasting. Morris spent 14 months in Pusan, celebrating his 19th and 20th birthdays there; he was discharged from the U.S. Army in January of 1947. Once home, Morris joined his father and brothers in the family business, J. Kurle and Sons, where he worked for nearly 50 years before selling the business in 1996. He assisted the subsequent owners until his retirement at the age of 85.
Morris married Patricia Venoy Schumacher on June 24, 1951. They were blessed with two children - Constance Barbara and John Patrick; five grandchildren - Jami, Laurie, Luke, John, and Martin, and four great-grandchildren - Drew, Isaac, Emily, and Olivia Venoy.
Morris was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church where he served on the church council; he made many significant contributions to his community, including serving on the first WEB water board of directors, Bowdle Commercial Club, Bowdle School Board, Volunteer Fire Department, and American Legion Post No. 264. Morris loved spending time with his family and friends, and he greatly enjoyed the time he spent fishing. He will be remembered for his kind and gentle nature and his generosity and ingenuity.
Morris is survived by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, his sister-in-law Donna (Alvin) Kurle, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Morris was preceded in death by his wife Venoy in 2004; his father Jacob in 1951; his mother Rose in 1987; two brothers (Ray and Alvin Kurle), two sisters (Alice Heckenlaible and Lenora Hansen), two sisters-in-law (Lorraine Kurle and Lois Jackson), and one brother-in-law (David Hansen).
Casket bearers will be Luke, John, and Martin Kurle; Drew and Isaac Geier; and Shane Jahraus.
Lien Funeral Home of Bowdle is in charge of arrangements. (www.MillerLienFH.com)