Kurt Conrad

Kurt Conrad, 70, passed away peacefully at Soin Hospital on November 21, 2022, after an 8-month battle with cancer. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sigfried and Betty Conrad, and his sister-in-law, Liz Conrad.

He is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Debbie, (who for the last 8 months was labeled “Best Caregiver Ever” by Kurt), his brother Rick Conrad, his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Rick and Debbie Hollingshead, and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Jo and Kevin Fitzharris, as well as nieces and nephews. Kurt graduated from Fairborn High School and attended Miami University and Wright State university. He held many jobs over the years, including machinist, office worker, hotel maintenance man, and his “dream come true job” of working at a hardware store: Handyman Ace Hardware. While working there, he shared his gifts of being able to repair almost anything and being a master at yard work! He helped many elderly people stay in their homes, because he was so giving, concerned and conscientious about taking care of things for them as they aged. Kurt was an avid reader and owned hundreds of books (and had actually read every one of them, many multiple times). He was the most resourceful person I have ever known and could come up with a solution to nearly every problem. He was extremely kindhearted, honest to a fault and very giving. Once, in a group of people talking about what they would do with lottery winnings (Bengals season tickets, sports cars), Kurt’s response was “I could do work for people, and I wouldn’t have to charge them.” But…he was not at all a social kind of guy. When the pandemic struck, he commented, “I’ve been training for this my entire life”, as he enjoyed just staying at home, reading doing odd jobs around the house, cooking “experimentally”, and watching movies.

He was super smart in every way, including common sense. He was interested in nearly everything and extremely knowledgeable. He could really shine when “Trivial Pursuit” was all the rage. He had a soft spot in his heart for the many cats that he was forced to cohabitate with over the years and our current cats miss him already. He loved to watch sports—Bengals, Reds, UD basketball, University of Michigan football. In his final days, when the end was near, in a typical Kurt kind of fashion, he said he needed to come up with his “final line”. He decided on “I’m sailing off into the sunset”. Smooth sailing, Kurt. Donations may be made in his name to the American Cancer Society. A celebration of his life by family and friends will happen later. Condolences may be made to the family at www.beltonstroup.com