Marla Kutzer

Marla Jan O'Quinn Kutzer passed away on August 25, 2017 in Ingram, Texas at age 63 following a long battle with ALS. Marla was born in Longview, Texas on November 18, 1953 to George Frederick and Monia Graves O'Quinn.\r\n \r\nShe attended school in Kilgore, Texas, graduated from Kilgore High School, and began her college career at Kilgore Jr. College. She was active as a child and young adult at Centre Presbyterian Church in Elderville, Texas. It was there that she met Ralph Kutzer. They fell in love and were married on August 4, 1973. She moved with him to Tucson, Arizona, where Ralph was enrolled in graduate school at the University of Arizona. In 1975, they moved to Austin, Texas and Marla enrolled in the University of Texas, earning a B.S. cum laude in Education/Art. While in Austin, Marla also gave birth to two sons, Aaron on September 17, 1976 and Russ on July 18, 1980. In 1980, they moved to Paris, Texas, where Ralph took a job with Campbell's Soup Co. and Marla began her teaching career at North Lamar ISD. In addition to teaching math and art, she served as middle school girls basketball coach and cheerleader sponsor. While living in Paris, Marla returned to school, earning a M.S in Art from Texas A&M-Commerce. When they moved to Waco, Texas in 1998, she continued her career teaching middle school art at Waco ISD and Midway ISD. She retired from Midway ISD in 2007 after 27 years in public education. In 2014, they fulfilled a longstanding dream and moved to the Texas Hill Country.\r\n \r\nMarla was an artist in every sense of the word. She was extraordinarily perceptive and appreciative of the beauty found in nature. She was a painter, using oils, watercolors, and acrylics to create awesome paintings. She crafted stained glass pieces that are beautiful and precise. She was also a jeweler, designing and handcrafting pieces from silver and PMC. She excelled in all things creative, and had a true artist's eye with which she viewed the world. The few people who are in possession of her creations regard them as treasures.\r\n \r\nBesides the birth of her two sons, one of the highlights of her life was a trip to Italy in 2010 with Ralph. They visited Rome, saw the Trevi Fountain, coliseum, and the Vatican, then to Florence where they rented an apartment and saw Michelangelo's statue of David and Ponte Vecchio, then an apartment in Lucca, a medieval walled city in Tuscany, then Venice, seeing St. Mark's Square, Doge Palace, and Bridge of Sighs, and finally to Milan to see Leonardo's Last Supper. It was a trip of a lifetime and Ralph and Marla spent many hours remembering it while looking through photos.\r\n \r\nLeft to treasure Marla's memory are her husband of 44 years, her sons Aaron and wife Ellen of Boulder, CO and Russ and wife Meghan of Austin, TX. In addition to these, a very good friend Jim Morris of Kerrville and countless former students of hers who continue to keep in contact. Also dear to her good heart are her pet friends, Molly, a Schnauzer and Mia, a Sheltie.\r\n \r\nMarla was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church, holding the office of Ruling Elder and a longtime supporter of Mo Ranch. In place of flowers, the family requests donations to Mo Ranch, Peterson Hospice, or the ALS Association.\r\n \r\nFuneral services for Marla will be held on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Kerrville with Dr. Rob Lohmeyer offciating. Interment will follow in Greenwood Cemetery in Fredericksburg, TX.\r\n