Kurtz was married three times. He divorced his first wife, Katherine, to marry flutist Elaine Shaffer; Shaffer had been the first-chair flute of the Houston Symphony (under Kurtz) until she resigned in 1953 to pursue a successful solo career.Roussel, Hubert: The Houston Symphony Orchestra, 1913-1971: pp. 125-140. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1974. The two remained married until her death, of lung cancer at the age of 47, in 1973. After her death, Kurtz married Mary Lynch, who survived him. He died in London, aged 94.
