Upon realizing that his medications would never involve tequila, Kurt William Wunder acquiesced and peacefully surrendered his battle with glioblastoma and leptomeningeal disease on August 10th, 2019. He was the loving son of Dolores and the late William, youngest brother to Robert and William. Kurt was the devoted husband of Margo and adoring father to Georgia and Spencer. He is also survived by his faithful pets Shiloh and Parumpapumpum, as well as a hefty collection of sinks.
Captain and founder of the Hatboro Horsham High School ice hockey team, Kurt imparted his great passion for the sport to his wife and children. He taught them how to play and to love the game that was so dear to his heart. Kurt volunteered his time as a coach in the Rizzo Rink Ice Hockey program here in South Philadelphia, striving to foster not only skill, but also sportsmanship and a bench culture of affirmation and equity.
It was recently said of Kurt “he could have been mayor,” and that was mostly true. He saw potential in everyone and everything. Along with two likeminded visionaries, he built the 700 bar. Within a brief period of time and with their bare hands, Kurt and his partners Tracy and Chris turned a shell of a building in a desolate part of Northern Liberties into the cornerstone of a thriving community of artists, musicians, trades people, pundits and drunks for some twenty-plus years.
Kurt crafted a career later in life as a special effects coordinator for major motion pictures and television. A fitting calling for Kurt, effects work sated his need to build, problem solve, create, plan, ideate, execute, collaborate, collect, fix, experiment, improvise and invent.
Kurt was a voracious experiencer, whose joy and zest of life was contagious and matched only by that of his wife and children. His quest for good road trip stops (especially great barbecue and pie) was evidenced by a tattered, annotated road atlas buried beneath the floor mat of one of his retired police vehicles. The family shared many adventures together and Kurt considered himself fortunate to spend time traveling alone with each of his children to various hockey tournaments, sharing with them memories of bobsledding at Lake Placid and eating poutine at the Toronto Christmas Market. Kurt and Margo’s eighteen-year marriage was filled with adventures that took the couple all over the country and abroad for quests as simple and ridiculous as the best tripe sandwich or the worst Iron Maiden cover band. There was always something on the horizon- to taste, to see, to hear, to try; and for that reason, there was almost always a half-filled backpack or two to trip over in the Wunder living room. Now Kurt’s bag is packed for his next journey. Hopefully, not that tattered duffel held together by duct tape.
Safe travels, Kurt! Wherever you are, we’re sure the Flyers are winning, the caddis flies are drifting across a lazy stream, and it’s five o’clock somewhere.
Friends and relatives are invited to gather to celebrate Kurt’s life Sunday, August 18th at 801 Wharton Street in Philadelphia at 1pm for a second line procession to the Mummers Museum (100 South Second Street) for a memorial celebration from 2-6pm.
In lieu of flowers and cards, donations in Kurt’s name can be made to Rizzo Rink (1001 South Front Street Philadelphia, PA 19147) and the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation (sniderhockey.org)