Curtis “Curt” Kent Morrell

Celebrating the life of an extraordinary man, Curtis “Curt” Kent Morrell.
Curt was born on January 16, 1944, to Waldo and Ruth Morrell and raised in Shenandoah, Iowa along with his older brother Clark. He started working at a young age holding various jobs through school starting with the neighborhood paper route, working at a nursery where he did weeding for .25 cents an hour, painting houses and even working at a funeral home. One of Curt’s greatest passions was sports; in school he played football, basketball, track and baseball. Later in life he even got into competitive weightlifting, and he loved golf.
Curt was also a proud veteran. He enlisted in the Navy at the age of 18 after graduating high school in 1962. He was a boatswain’s mate - also known as a petty officer - the most senior crew member on the deck, responsible for the maintenance and care of the ship. He became a Shellback which is a status bestowed upon a worthy sailor who has crossed the equator. Curt was in the Navy when the Vietnam War began; he was assigned to river patrols, now called Special Warfare Combat Crewman (SWCC). He was on active duty during the Vietnam War until 1966 when his service came to an end, and he returned to the U.S. Curt was very honored to be on the first Vietnam Combat Honor Flight out of Omaha, NE in 2017 and grateful to be awarded a quilt by Quilts of Valor and Honor Quilts from Palo Verde Patchers of Sun City West.
After the military, Curt attended Centerville Community College in Iowa. From there he received a football scholarship at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois where he earned his BA in elementary PE and Special Ed with a minor in history. After college he married and had 4 children.
Curt absolutely loved being a dad and even after that marriage ended he always made sure he was a steadfast and reliable presence in his children’s lives. He attended every school, church and sporting event of theirs that he could, and they have fond memories of the many, many camping, fishing and road trips he took with them.
In 1999, at a 4th of July BBQ, Curt met the absolute love of his life, Janine Kahl. It was love at first sight and they were married January 8, 2000. Being Janine’s husband was one of his greatest joys in life and for 24 years they had wonderful adventures together.
Curt retired from his management career in the trucking industry in 2008. He and Janine retired to Arizona in 2018 where he was active in his church community, and he could also be found on the golf course or at the coffee shop with friends. Curt’s laughter, charm and kind, generous spirit will be sorely missed by all who were blessed to know him.
A Celebration of Life service at Palm West Community Church on April 13, 2024 at 10:30 am.