Kurt van Boemmel

June 4, 2022

Kurt Anton van Boemmel, beloved father and grandfather passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side on June 4, 2022. Prior to relocating to Wake Forest, NC in 2020 he was a longtime resident of West Haven, CT.

Kurt was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Ursula. He is the beloved “Papa” of Sabine Witzgall (Kurt) of Wake Forest, NC, Petra Wynkoop (Steve) of Ridgefield, CT and Thomas van Dell of Las Vegas, NV. He was blessed to be “Opa” to 8 grandchildren: Ian and Tristan Witzgall, Michael Wynkoop and his predeceased brother Stephan, Brandon, Taylor, Nicolas and Everett van Dell. Kurt was born the son of Elisabeth van Boemmel (Kolodziej) and Herman van Boemmel of Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany on August 11, 1924. He was predeceased by his brother Paul.

Working internationally as a skilled master mechanic on key projects for Otis Elevator over a span of 40 plus years, Kurt first came to the United States in the late sixties. His wife and children joined him permanently in 1974 making the US their new home. He was a mechanical ace: thinking outside the box on fixing anything that others thought could not be done! As it was said: “If you dropped him in a jungle with a toolbox he would build you an elevator.”

He had a lifelong passion for travel to various parts of the globe and continued trips to his beloved Germany well into his eighties. He had a deep curiosity for learning about different cultures which he passed on to his children and grandchildren. He was the greatest conversationalist. Family and friends loved listening to his stories about his travels and adventures over a shared meal, beer, a shot of Jägermeister and sweet treats.

He will be remembered as a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin and friend. He will be immensely missed by his immediate and extended family and friends in the US, Germany and beyond.

A service celebrating Kurt’s life will be held at a later date. You may view the obituary and guest book here: http://www.cremnc. com/obituary/kurt-vanboemmel?fh_id=16145

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to:

Meals on Wheels of Wake County, 1001 Blair Drive, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27603-2030 or AARP Foundation, PO BOX 93207, Long Beach, CA 90809-3207.