Eric Stephen Kurczewski

November 22, 1947 - April 17, 2025

Eric Stephen Kurczewski—known to most as Rick and to his siblings as Ricky—passed away on April 17, 2025, at the age of 77.

He was smart, awkward, and relentlessly curious—a man who never followed the crowd and never pretended to. He wasn’t affectionate in any traditional sense, but he showed care through structure, logic, and the occasional unsolicited documentary recommendation.

Rick served three years in the United States Air Force, receiving an honorable discharge—a technicality that, as it turned out, spared him from being sent to Vietnam. He didn’t speak much about his military service, but like many things in his life, he carried it with quiet dignity and zero fanfare.

He had a unique relationship with order. Everything had a place, and God help you if you moved it. His version of OCD meant that things were always labeled, categorized, and aligned—even if they hadn’t been dusted since the Clinton administration. The Dyson vacuum, for example, was unmistakably marked with a bold label that read “Dyson,” just in case there was any doubt.

His love of astronomy ran deep. He could talk for hours about planets, gravitational pull, or why Pluto deserved better. And when he wasn’t cataloging the cosmos, he was blasting his favorite music: The Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, The Four Seasons, The Eagles, and the greatest hits of the ’50s and ’60s, usually spun by Cousin Brucie on 101.1 FM. That was his soundtrack, and it played loudly and often.

As a father, he didn’t do pep talks or emotional speeches. But if he challenged your thinking, sent you a sudden weather update, or demonstrated the “correct” way to do something simple, that was love—just his version of it. And for those who knew him well, that was more than enough.

Rick is survived by a close-knit circle of family and friends who understood the quiet humor, the rigid systems, the space facts, and the love that existed just beneath all of it.

All arrangements are under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

You are encouraged to visit Eric’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.

In lieu of flowers, take a moment to organize something in a strangely specific way. Label a vacuum. Blast some classic vinyl. Or just look up at the stars and imagine him somewhere out there—correcting your astronomy facts, mid-song, with the volume turned up.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”

Eric Stephen Kurczewski—known to most as Rick and to his siblings as Ricky—passed away on April 17, 2025, at the age of 77. He was smart, awkward, and relentlessly curious—a man who never followed the crowd and never pretended to. He wasn’t affectionate in any traditional sense, but he showed care through structure, logic, andContinue Reading

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We can't hardly ever look up at a spectacular night sky and not think fondly of our brother-in-law Rick. Now, with his truly heavenly perspective of the multiverse, we're sure he is excited about discovering ever so much more up there and brainstorming how he might explain things to those of us that he cares about, despite our scientifically stunted minds. A comforting thought to us is imagining how in awe he is right now as he is being blasted by an overwhelming force of love and respect for him by many of his family and friends, and how deeply we treasure our memories of him. We will definitely miss seeing his name appear on our phones each year (without fail) calling to wish us a Happy Birthday.

November 1977. with baby me ( steven ) & Juanita Saco
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Eric, you will be greatly missed!

I am so sorry for your family’s loss. I saw Eric almost daily in the neighborhood he called home for almost the last 5 years of his life. I enjoyed talking to him about the neighborhood because we always had something ‘interesting’ to talk about or problems to try and solve! I will cherish the moments he called me to tell me ‘if I am up at 3 am go and look in the north sky and you might be able to see the so and so’ Ha! We talked about light pollution and tried to catch some of the meteor showers in the church’s parking lot with other neighbors. Too many times I was in a rush and didn’t stop to talk as I was walking my dog and always ‘late’ for something. It was also fun to talk to him about the Yankees and he would share his past and interesting stories. He reminded me of my own father - lots of fascinating stories and life lived. My children, especially my son Justin, would have talks with him about astronomy and he even got to check out his telescopes a couple times. There are so many of us that found comfort in seeing Eric at the ‘first’ home on the corner. He will be missed. May God grant him eternal rest. Amen.

No more pain Ricky my brother. Rest in peace. Love, your sister, Mary Ellen. P.S. say hello to Mom and Dad.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.