Sara Kurth

Sara Kurth, age 81, of Marshalltown, passed away in the care of the Iowa River Hospice with her family at her side.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 1st (please note date) at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. Visitation will be held on Thursday April 30th from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. She will be laid to rest in the Rose Hill Memorial Gardens at a later date. Memorials in her honor may directed to the Iowa River Hospice.

Born on May 11th, 1944, in Marshalltown, she was one of two daughters born to Calvin and Maude (Hull) Neve. She grew up on the north side of Marshalltown on North 15th Street. While in her freshman year of school, a handsome young man named Tom Kurth, caught her eye. From that time, the two were inseparable- even though he was from the “south side” (one block south of Main Street). These high school sweethearts graduated from the Marshalltown High School in 1962. Sara continued her education at Iowa State then the Marshalltown Junior College before receiving her teacher’s degree in history (like her mother) from the Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls in May of 1966. She student taught for the Newton Public Schools.

On December 21st, 1963, on a day remembered to be 25 degrees below zero, the two were united in marriage at the First Presbyterian Church. Tom’s car wouldn’t start due to the cold, so a 1953 Buick Roadmaster ushered the newlyweds through the day. Cars were an important part of the Kurth life- a Corvette and later Camaro were definite highlights.

In July of 1965, the couple alongside their families started building the family home on Highland Acres Road and moved into the house in January of 1966. It has been a loving environment for over 60 years to the Kurth couple, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Sara did substitute teaching for the Marshalltown Schools and then bookkeeping for her father’s real estate business. The joy of starting a family came into their life with the birth of daughter, Tracy and later son, David. When Tom’s dad incurred some critical health issues, Tom took over the garbage service route that had been owned by his family since 1928, and later Sara started taking the books over for the company.

Sara treasured her family and the events they were in, the monthly lunches with the Class of 1962, bowling, weekly lunches with bowling friends, puzzles, Tri-T meetings, and traveling in the motorhome from coast to coast and border to border and even beyond with a 40 day trip to Northpole , Alaska. It was a trip that pushed her boundaries by the 38th day! She was known for her cookies for her husband’s RAGBRAI club providing them on the Wednesday of the ride. She helped organize and support the 5K/10K run at Oktemberfest each year as well as help with traffic control alongside Tom. Another enjoyment she found was serving on the board of MFL where she participated in the concession stands while her husband was a coordinator; she was on the MFL board for 4-5 years for 3rd to 6th graders with the assistance of her husband. She enjoyed her dogs and simply, she just enjoyed life in general.

Left to cherish her memory is Tom, her loving husband of 62 years; daughter Tracy (Steve) Simbides of Marshalltown; son David (Ann) Kurth of Grimes; grandchildren: Taylor (Neil) Frizzell of Toledo, Jordyn (Ray) Dulaney of Marshalltown, Carsen (Mae) Kurth of Wheat Ridge, CO, Megan Kurth (fiancée Tyler Budden) of Ankeny; great-grandchildren: Reese Dulaney, Olivia Frizzell, Micah Dulaney, Levi Kurth and her sister, Nancy (Larry) Bartholomew of Williamsburg, VA, as well as numerous friends and other family.

In death, she rejoined her parents.