Brad "Bubba" David Kurtz

Writing Brad’s name on this page doesn’t feel right. He was an amazing man whose life was cut far too short by a devastating disease.

Brad loved making the drive to Idaho with his friends, Brian and Jason, to buy lottery tickets. For days afterward we’d laugh and dream about all the ways we were going to spend the millions we were certain we’d win. Instead, Brad won a different kind of lottery—the one no one would ever choose. In early October of 2025 he was diagnosed with stage 4 high-grade appendiceal peritoneal mucinous adenocarcinoma. An extremely rare and very aggressive form of cancer. It was an unfair battle from the beginning, but he faced it with courage, always humor, and continuous love for the people around him.

Brad David Kurtz was born on December 10, 1977, in Bountiful, Utah, to David and Lisa (Barnson) Kurtz. Weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce at birth, he soon earned the nickname “Bubba” after chubbing up into the cutest baby boy. Although he eventually lost the chubbiness, he never lost the name. To almost everyone who knew him, he will always be Bubba.

From the beginning, Bubba was full of energy. He loved teasing his siblings, especially his sister Ashley, and spent nearly every waking hour outside playing sports with his brothers Derek and Kevin and the neighborhood boys. He also loved to talk. He often joked that he was “that kid” in the backseat of the car who never stopped talking. Reflecting on his life, that’s exactly who he was—someone who genuinely loved life and people, and never ran out of conversation.

Sports became a huge part of his life. With countless hours of encouragement from his dad, he developed into an exceptional baseball and basketball player. He became what the family lovingly referred to as the “star” of the family. Bubba loved his years playing baseball in the Mueller Park and Centerville City leagues, where he formed friendships that lasted a lifetime. He continued playing basketball at Bountiful Junior High before going on to play both basketball and baseball at Viewmont High School. As a senior, he was named Region MVP and earned All-State honors in baseball. He graduated from VHS in 1996.

His success on the field earned him a baseball scholarship to Salt Lake Community College. Before long, however, he realized his future was leading him somewhere else. He chose to focus on school, work, and the girl who had quietly become the center of his world—his high school sweetheart, Lisa Duncan.

Although Bubba and I met in junior high, we didn’t start dating until our senior year of high school. I still remember meeting him for the first time after a jr high basketball game. I heard him laugh and thought it was the most contagious laugh I’d ever heard. Bubba remembered our first meeting differently. He remembered coming to my house, meeting me, and thought, “I’m going to marry that girl someday.”

After several fun years dating his premonition came true and we were married in Centerville, Utah, on July 31, 1999.

Life during those early years revolved around friends, rec league sports, and making memories. Bubba was always the first-person people wanted on their basketball or softball teams. We spent countless evenings in gyms and at ball fields with friends who became family. His three-point shot became somewhat legendary around Davis County, but what people remember most wasn’t just how well he played or his fierce competitiveness—it was how much fun they had competing with him & the long conversations shared after games.

Soon after we were married, we bought our first home in Layton. Quickly after that our life changed with the birth of our son Brady in 2001. Becoming a father was the role Bubba was born to play. Wanting to provide for our growing family, Bubba earned his real estate license and began working with his former baseball coach and friend, Scott Lalli, at several brokerages including Coldwell Banker. This opportunity proved to be one of the best decisions of his life.

Bubba had a rare gift for making people feel important. Clients became friends because they knew he genuinely cared about them. Real estate eventually led him into investing and development, where he partnered with his mentor and friend, John Nichols. Bubba had an incredible ability to be patient and thoughtful while also recognizing opportunities others might miss. He worked hard, took calculated risks, and built a career and portfolio he was proud of.

In 2002, Bubba purchased a yellow 1977 Ford Bronco that became one of his favorite toys. He loved taking it to Moab to tackle the trails. In 2019 his friend Colter beautifully restored it. After that, the Bronco retired from the trails, but many will remember Bub driving the baby blue beauty through town from spring to fall.

Bubba also loved riding dirt bikes. From the trails above Mueller Park to Logan Canyon, Green River, the Knolls, and Dell, he was happiest with friends on two wheels. His favorite trip, however, was the annual rides along the Baja coast of Mexico. Those adventures became the highlight of every year. We are especially grateful our son Brady was able to share those final trips with his dad. The rides along the beaches, and the quesadillas from Abuela are memories that will always belong to them.

Our family grew with the births of Charlie 2003, Macey 2006, and Lainey 2008. Bubba had such a soft spot for those 3 little ladies. In 2003, we built our home in Farmington and raised our kids there for 15 years. The memories from those early years were idyllic. Friendships we still cherish, summers spent on the back lawn, holidays packed with family, and a home that always welcomed everyone in.

Bubba’s greatest joy was being a dad to our 4 kids. Whether it was soccer fields, basketball courts, lacrosse games, dance recitals and competitions, or musical theater, he very rarely missed a chance to show his support. His children always knew they could count on looking into the stands and finding their biggest fan. He celebrated their successes, encouraged them through disappointments, and showed them through his constant presence just how deeply they were loved. Sunday Fundays on the boat were also a favorite day for Bub. The music was always loud, the phones stayed tucked away, and for a few perfect hours it was just the six of us—laughing, singing, surfing, and making memories together.

In 2013, Brad and I started another adventure together flipping houses. Ironically, the home we live in today was originally supposed to be just another flip. We spent nearly every day together remodeling homes. We wandered through home improvement stores, grabbed lunch, had an occasional argument (I was usually less right) but also laughed until we cried, and teased that we should star in our own home renovation show. We always included our kids because Bubba wanted them to know the value of hard work and the satisfaction that comes from building something together. I don’t know how I’ll ever walk into another home improvement store without reaching for the hand that won’t be there.

The early years were filled with long hours and hard work as Bubba built our businesses. In the last few years, that hard work gave us the greatest reward of all- time - time to be together. It became a running joke among our children’s friends that Bubba must secretly be a drug dealer because he always seemed to be home. The truth was much simpler. Everything Bubba built—his career, our homes, the boat, and the countless projects we tackled together—were never about the things themselves. He had built a life that allowed him to do the activities he loved with the people he loved most.

If you knew Bubba, you knew what it felt like to matter. Whether you had known him for twenty years or twenty minutes, he had a way of making you feel like an old friend. He remembered your name, asked about your family, celebrated your successes, and somehow made every conversation feel important. He was the type of guy that would chase you down in a store just to say hello.

As I write these memories, I realize it may sound like I’m trying to describe a perfect life. In so many ways, I am. We most definitely weren’t perfect people, but we shared a life together that felt remarkably close. We loved deeply, laughed often, worked hard, and treasured our family. That’s what makes losing Bubba feel so profoundly unfair. We weren’t finished living the life we had built together. So, we will spend the rest of our lives honoring him, telling his stories, laughing at his jokes, chasing adventures the way he taught us to, and loving one another the way he loved us.

“You’ll never understand how safe someone made the world feel, until the world feels different without them in it.”-unknown

His favorite saying, usually delivered with a grin when things didn’t go as planned, was, “Fut the wuck!”

So… “fut the wuck”, Bub! We love you. We miss you. We can’t wait for the day we will be together again.

Brad is survived by his wife, Lisa; his children, Brady (Savanna), Charlie, Macey, and Lainey; his mom, Lisa; his siblings, Derek, Ashley (Jared), and Kevin (Kelsey); his grandmother, Shirley; and many beloved nieces, nephews, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family members, and dear friends who will miss him deeply. He is preceded in death by his father Dave, father-in-law Lee and grandparents.

We invite you to celebrate Bubba’s life with us on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 11a.m. (203 W. 1950 N., Centerville UT).