Stanley William Kurcaba, Jr., 82, passed away in Kingwood on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2022.
He was born in the coal mining town of Kempton on July 23, 1940, son of the late Stanley and Vernelda Kurcaba. Raised in Morgantown, Stan was an avid fisherman and inseparable from his fishing pole since he was a toddler.
He graduated from Morgantown High in 1958 and was the very first of his family to graduate from college, receiving a degree in forestry from West Virginia University in 1962. He hitchhiked to California after accepting his first job posting with the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, on the Stanislaus National Forest. He spent his bachelorhood there thoroughly enjoying his many new friends, the outdoor wonders of California: living nearby Yosemite, the Redwoods San Francisco Bay and his first love, always, fishing.
A new dimension was added to Stan’s life in 1966 when he met and married his California girl, Teddi.
(And, yes, his fishing pole went on the honeymoon.)
Stanley’s profession took him to two postings in the Sierras plus The Las Padres National Forest in Ojai, Calif., where 50 years ago, one of his duties was to record the endangered California condor’s habitat deep within the Sespe Wilderness Condor Sanctuary, where to this day public access is not allowed.
His transfer to The Medicine Bow in Laramie, Wyo., in 1978, offered more than just a promotion as Wyoming was a hunters paradise, literally where the elk, deer and antelope roamed.
The year 1980 brought Stan to USFS Regional Headquarters in Washington D.C. A good journey, he would say, full of lasting friendships and exceptional memories.
In 1995 Stan retired, returning home to his native West Virginia, his family and friends and to once again fish the many rivers and streams he knew as a young man.
Life with Stan was always an adventure. He never met a fish he could not catch. His wanderlust was insatiable. He was an avid Mountaineer sports fan, a seriously competitive golfer and was famous for his back yard annual fish fry’s and his homemade pierogies.
For those that knew and loved him, he was considered the “world’s best fisherman,” and he will forever live in our hearts.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Teddi Kurcaba; daughter, Kirsten Gloeckner and husband Charlie, of Sterling, Va.; granddaughters, Erin, Megan and Molly Gloeckner, of Sterling Va.; and sister, Glenda L. Latusek, of Morgantown.
Cremation services were provided at his request. Cremation services are being handled by the Kingwood Funeral Home and Crematory.
There will be no public services at the funeral home.
Cards are welcome and can be mailed in care of Kingwood Funeral Home, 295 S. Price St., Kingwood, WV 26537.
Condolences:
www.kingwoodfuneralhomewv.com
