Obituary of Elizabeth Betty Kurgan

Elizabeth H. “Betty” Kurgan passed away in Bar Harbor, Maine on January 20, 2012 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Betty was born in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on December 17, 1922 and immigrated to the United States with her parents, John and Margaret Mitchell, and sister, Harriet, in 1929. Betty grew up in central New Jersey and graduated from Union City High School. During World War II, she joined the U.S. Naval Women Reserves (WAVES) and was stationed at Banana River, Florida, now known as Cape Canaveral. Following the War, Betty returned to New Jersey, marrying Fred Kurgan in 1947, himself a World War II US Army veteran, and together they had three children before divorcing in 1969. For much of her life, Betty worked as a real estate agent, first in her own agency, E.H. Kurgan Realty, in Wayne, New Jersey, and later, after she relocated to Lakehurst, New Jersey, in T.F Byrne Realty Company. She had retired for several years in Lakehurst before relocating to Bar Harbor, Maine in 2007. A devoted mother, Betty is survived by her children, John Kurgan of Bar Harbor, Maine, Paul Kurgan of Potomac, Maryland, and Barbara Kurgan of New York City; her grandchildren, John and Matthew Kurgan, sons of Paul and Kathy Kurgan. Fred Kurgan predeceased her in 1998. Her ashes will be interred in the Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Alzheimer’s Association.