Fonda Kurish Obituary

FONDA ROSE (HIVICK ) KURISH
September 24, 1948 August 26, 2020

71, of Colorado Springs, Colorado died August 26, 2020 after a short illness. Her husband and friends were by her side. Services will be held at a later date.
Born September 24, 1948 in Charleston, West Virginia, Fonda was reared in the small Appalachian community of Camden-On-Gauley, West Virginia. She graduated from Cowen High School, Cowen, West Virginia and was Valedictorian, Class of 1966. She received a B.S. in Biology in 1970 and an M.S. in Botany in 1972 from West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia. Her professional career started as a Botanist at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The majority of her career was spent in government service as a Special Agent for the Internal Revenue Service in the El Paso, Texas office.
After retirement in 2005, Fonda pursued her many hobbies and interests. She was an enthusiastic birder, ardent photographer, and avid traveler who visited all 7 continents and all 50 states. She loved the outdoors, nature and camping. Fonda was as unique an individual as her name. Always her own person, she had a quick wit and a hearty laugh. Her joie de vivre knew no bounds. She made many friends in her lifetime and her passing leaves a void in many hearts.
Fonda was predeceased by her parents, Paul and Madalene Hivick, her brother, William Hivick and her grandmother, Lula Rose. She is survived at home in Colorado Springs by her husband, Dr. John Kurish and canine companion, Drake, stepson Johnny Kurish of Boulder, CO and stepson Ben Kurish of Denver, CO; sister-in-law, Brenda Hivick Bennett, niece Erin (Seth) Wyatt, great nephew Gavin Wyatt, great niece Avery Wyatt, all of Camden-On-Gauley, WV; niece Erica (Matt) Butler, great nieces Emily and Bayleigh Butler, great nephew, Owen Butler, all of Newport News, VA; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Linda and Dick Waybright, niece Cinda (Paul) Francis, great nephews Patrick, Andrew and Jacob Francis, all of Sandyville, WV; niece Cheryl Hull, great niece Makenna Hull of Leon, WV.
An online obituary may be viewed through the Swan Law Funeral Directors website (www.swan-law.com), Colorado Springs, CO under Fonda Rose Hivick. Pictures and memories may also be shared at the same website.
Memorial contributions may be made to The Nature Conservancy or The West Virginia University Foundation allocated to benefit 4-H Camp Caesar in Webster County West Virginia.