From his son's post on Facebook "On Monday, November 6th [2023], we lost my Dad, Kurt Alexander to an aggressive liver cancer." No arrangements or obituary as of yet. Kurt was one of my instructors when I was in medical school. I had known him prior to that through Ham radio. Very sad to hear of his death. Keith WD9GET
C. Kurt Alexander, M.D., passed away on November 6 at the age of 66, at his “snowbird” home in Fort Myers, Florida, after a brief battle with liver cancer. Kurt was born in Muncie, Indiana, on January 26, 1957. A proud Hoosier, Kurt graduated from Muncie Central High School (1975, valedictorian), Ball State University (1979), and Indiana University School of Medicine (1983). Kurt spent the majority of his life in Muncie, where he proudly practiced as a board-certified endocrinologist for his entire professional career. Nonetheless, Kurt had always dreamed of someday living in Florida, and he was finally able to achieve that dream in 2020 (though he maintained his Yorktown residence all his life). Kurt was known to his patients as a kind but thoughtful doctor, who would always chat about his kids, but made sure that the people of Muncie received the best care possible. A thoughtful friend, Kurt’s neighbors tell stories of a baby reindeer figure that showed up in their yard after their child was born, and trees that would mysteriously be donned with Christmas lights as part of a practical joke mid-winter. And ever the instructor (Kurt won an award from the Ball Memorial Hospital resident physicians for best teaching), Kurt always made a point to show his two sons how to fix virtually every problem that ever happened around the house—very rarely did Kurt ever need to call a handyman. Kurt never found a hobby he didn’t like. As a boy, he and his father became amateur radio operators, through which Kurt made several lifelong friends. Kurt also was an avid coin collector and stamp collector. As an adult, Kurt turned his eyes toward the skies and earned his private pilot’s license, which he frequently used to fly his family around the country for vacations and weekend trips. Perhaps most notably, Kurt fell in love with hot air ballooning. Kurt and his “Rainbow Rider” balloon were frequently spotted in the skies of east central Indiana for over a decade, and he even won the Indiana State Fair’s competition against balloonists from around the Midwest as the top balloonist. When he decided to retire his aviation days, Kurt turned his attention to beekeeping, woodworking, gardening, cruising, and bartending on steam trains. His friends and family will enjoy the honey he harvested and the wooden pens he turned for years to come. Kurt was an active member of the American Radio Relay League, American Medical Association, Murpah Shrine Club, the Monroe Township Conservation Club. Additionally, he served as president of both the Delaware County Regional Airport Authority and the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators. Kurt is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Bernice (Vinson) Alexander, his brother, Richard Alexander, and his sister, Cynthia Pettigrew. Kurt is survived by his wife Cathy (Dick) of 43 years. Kurt would always tell anyone who would listen how he met his wife; as a college student at Ball State University, “Somebody kept getting better chemistry scores than me, and I needed to make sure that HE wasn’t trying to get into medical school!” They fell in love in short order, and their marriage produced two children, Andrew (Bethany) and Adam (Julianne). Kurt also had three grandchildren: Ethan, Jacob, and Vivian. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, November 18, 2023, at Elm Ridge Funeral Home, 4600 West Kilgore Avenue, Muncie, Indiana 47304. Family and friends may call from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Saturday at Elm Ridge Funeral Home. Kurt asked that, in lieu of flowers, all donations be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.elmridgefuneralhome.com.
