Obituary of Maureen Jantzen-Kurpiel

Maureen Jantzen-Kurpiel, age 90, of Florida, NY, died peacefully at home on February 13, 2017. A loving mother, faithful wife and registered nurse who cared deeply for all those in her care, Maureen was born in Goshen, NY on February 7, 1927, the daughter of Chester and Emilie (Holbert) Moore. After graduating from Warwick High School in 1945, she attended nursing school at Englewood Hospital in Englewood, NJ. During her training, she met her future husband, Theodore J. Jantzen (Ted), of Beatrice, Nebraska. They were married in the summer of 1947 and ultimately settled in Florida, New York where they raised their four sons in the house that Ted, a contractor/carpenter, built in 1952, and which Maureen's love transformed into a home, a home in which she resided for the rest of her life (over 65 years). After beginning her nursing career at Tuxedo Hospital (Tuxedo Park, NY), Maureen worked at St. Anthony's Hospital in Warwick, NY, and then finished her career with private duty nursing allowing her to provide her compassionate care to patients one-on-one. While she enjoyed nursing, the love of her life was her family. She shepherded her four sons through church, scouting and school with a strong emphasis on academics, attending college and providing them with opportunities that she and Ted did not have. In February of 1992, she closed a chapter of her life with the passing of her mother, Emilie, and her husband, Ted, of 44 years, both passing away in the same week. Eleven years later, in 2003, she married Chester J. Kurpiel, Sr. (Chet). Chet, formerly a long-time Middletown resident, was a close friend of Ted and Maureen's and after losing his first wife, Cecilia, became a loving and devoted husband to Maureen for the remaining 13 years of her life. In recent years, Maureen bravely battled progressive aphasia which eventually took away her ability to communicate. Chet and her sons are immensely appreciative of Tamar, her care provider whose loving and compassionate one-on-one care allowed Maureen to stay in her home until her passing. Maureen was predeceased by her parents, her step-father Arthur Brown of Warwick, her first husband, Ted, and her brothers Bernard and Lauran Moore. She is survived by her husband Chet of 13 years, her sons and their spouses and partners, Ronald and his life partner Marjorie Brian of Sherborn, MA, Robert and his wife Ani of Radnor, PA, Donald and his wife Damaris of Hackettstown, NJ, and Daniel and his wife Deborah of Etna, NH; her grandchildren, David and H. Benjamin (Ron), Daniel and Jimmy (Don), Matt, Elisabeth Maureen and Colby (Dan); great-grandchildren Natalie, Audrey, Luke, and Avalynn; Chet's sons Daniel Kurpiel of Middletown, NY, and Chester J. Kurpiel, Jr. and his wife Maureen Daly of Roslindale, MA, and their daughters Shauna and Sarah and grandson Colin; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Meals on Wheels of Warwick, P.O. Box 98, Warwick, NY 10990. Funeral Memorial Mass will be held 1:00 PM, Saturday, April 22nd at St. Joseph Church, 20 Glenmere Avenue, Florida, NY 10921.