Kevin Kortsch (1932-2009)

Sixteen years younger than Mom and the youngest of the Kortsch children, Kevin was the most amiable of the Kortsch brothers, with a quick laugh and friendly manner. Mom doted on him when he was a child, the many pictures of him in Mom’s Photo Album and their captions providing numerous examples of her affection. 

Kevin attended Marquette University High School and then Marquette University from 1949 to 1951 before transferring to the Illinois College of Chiropody and Foot Surgery in Chicago, now the Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine. He graduated in 1955 and immediately returned to Milwaukee and applied for a license to practice (below).

The license being granted, Kevin established a practice at 92nd and Burleigh. He was active in the Wisconsin Society of Podiatric Medicine, serving as its president from 1963 to 1967 and its executive director for the next 38 years, leaving office only a few years before he died. Although he had a busy practice, he readily admitted he liked best the writing and editing he did as a Society administrator. After his death two of his colleagues wrote a warm appreciation of his tireless activities on behalf of this branch of medicine.

He married Margaret Mary Bowers (1933-1993), known to everyone as ‘Margie’, in 1956. The Milwaukee Journal news clipping below gushingly describes Margie’s wedding gown and her bridesmaids’ dresses. Very old school. The Journal picture didn’t do justice to Margie; the Sentinel has the same text but a more flattering picture.

They had two children: Paula Kortsch Manske (b. 1967) and Andrew Kortsch (b. 1971). Paula and Carlton married in 1987 and have three children.

Kevin and Margie divorced  in 1985. Their affection for each other, however, did not stop with the divorce. She is the “beloved Margaret” in his obituary and in hers, the “Loving former wife of Kevin Kortsch.”

Kevin’s obituary can be seen at the end of the picture collection below. He was cremated and is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery. Margie’s obituary is also at the bottom. She, too, is interred at Holy Cross.

The only picture of Kevin as a teenager is from a 1947 Marquette High School yearbook (below), where he is a member of the stage crew for a performance of The Hasty Heart. He grew into those ears. On second look, every male in the picture has outsized ears. One hopes they did, too.

Many more pictures of Kevin can be seen in Mom’s Photo Album. For all of his pictures, enter his name into the search bar.