Kordla (Kay) Mae Bartz, 79, of Sturgeon Bay, WI passed away on May 29, 2019 at Pine Crest Village in Sturgeon Bay, WI. She was born June 30, 1939 in Suring, WI to Harold and Erma (Schuettpelz) Bartz. She graduated from Suring High School in 1957 and attended nursing school at Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing in Indiana. She became a registered nurse in 1960.
Kay worked as a surgical nurse for her entire career. She was employed by several hospitals, including Stanford University, Chicago Wesleyan Hospital, and the University of Minnesota Hospital. She served on the surgical teams for some of the earliest heart transplants and many innovative orthopedic procedures. She was proud of her nursing contributions and always placed patient care as her top priority. She became a resident at Pine Crest Village in 2013.
Survivors include four siblings, David (Rachael) Bartz of Sturgeon Bay, Althea (Loren) Korte of Lexington, MA, Myrna (Robert) Eslinger of Long Island, NY, Harold (MaryAnn) Bartz of Plano, TX and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her beloved cat, Maggie.
The family wishes to thank niece Laurie Thiede for her loving companionship, the staff and residents of Pine Crest Village for the care and love they showed Kay during her stay, and the staff of Unity Hospice for the excellent care during her final days.
A memorial service will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 22, 2019 at Forbes Funeral Home in Sturgeon Bay. Inurnment will be at St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Monday morning from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. Online condolences may be offered at www.forbesfuneralhome.com
Memorials may be directed to the Ronald McDonald House (www.rmhc.org) in her name.
