Curtis Jay Rettke,
Racquetball Enthusiast, IT Project Manager, World Traveler. 
8/27/1962 – 3/23/2005

Curtis Jay Rettke of Arlington, Virginia passed in Hamburg, PA at 5:05pm on 3/23/2005.  He was 42 years of age.

Curt was born in 1962 in Dallas, Texas.  His family relocated to suburban New Jersey, where he grew up.  He attended Lehigh University and was a member of the Phi Epsilon fraternity, a close-knit brotherhood that remains dedicated to Curt to this day.  He graduated in 1984 with a degree from Lehigh's prestigious Engineering program, and took a job designing some of the first ergonomics programs in the country. 

In 1995 Curt relocated to the suburban Washington DC area to start a career change, becoming an IT Manager with Panacea Consulting.  He moved to Arlington, Virginia in late 1995 and moved in with close friends Todd Boss and Ben Hale in late 1997.  He continued to work in the IT profession, starting his own consultancy and working closely with Panacea at the Department of Labor.

Curt was an avid racquetball enthusiast and was an accomplished tournament player.  He competed at the sport's highest amateur levels, winning local tournaments in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Even after a knee injury slowed him, he continued to give back to the sport by serving as a teaching pro in the Northern Virginia area.  Eventually Curt was selected to form the governing body for amateur racquetball in Virginia (the CVRA), currently serves as its President, and was named to the board of directors of the national governing body of Racquetball (USAR) in 2003.  To honor Curt's fight against cancer, the USAR has renamed its Technical Committee, and the CVRA has renamed its annual sportsmanship award in his name.

Curt enjoyed traveling the world and had a vacation resume that included: the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a safari in Africa that included summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, European trips to Munich’s Oktoberfest, Ireland, Great Britain and Czech Republic, Jamaica and scuba diving/White Shark cage diving in South Africa.

In 2003, Curt tried kayaking for the first time and quickly became an avid boater, visiting the rapids in Great Falls, Virginia five to six times per week.  His interest in the sport and dealing with the challenge of the rapids was indicative of his dedication to mastering all of life's pursuits.  Curt also had a rich base of friends from all over the over the world and from many walks of life who will dearly miss his incredible humor and loyal friendship. 

Curt is survived by his mother Peggy of Lady Lake, Florida, brother Steve of Farmingdale, New Jersey, his sister Linda, her husband Vreeland, and his nieces and nephews Krystal, Shayna, Vreeland III, Clayton, Cody, and Jacob, all of Hamburg (Lehigh Valley), Pennsylvania.


Memorial Services are planned for Saturday March 26th at the Arlington Funeral Home, 3901 N. Fairfax Drive (Ballston), Arlington, VA.  (703) 522-1441.  We’ll have a viewing from 4-6pm, with a service at 6pm, and then a gathering at Todd Boss’s house (Curt’s old house) afterwards where we can celebrate Curt’s rich life with friends and family.

 

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (http://www.leukemia.org), or to the National Bone Marrow database (http://www.marrow.org).

 

Directions to Arlington Funeral Home:

-         From the Washington DC Beltway (I-495)

-         Take I-66 east towards Washington DC

-         Take exit #71 (N. Fairfax/N. Glebe Rd).

-         Continue straight from the off ramp, passing through two lights.  You are now on N. Fairfax Drive.

-         Continue on N. Fairfax for several blocks.  The funeral home is on the left, at the intersection of N. Fairfax and N. Pollard.  Parking is available onsite.

 

Directions to Todd Boss’s House from the Arlington Funeral Home

-         Take N. Fairfax West back towards I-66. 

-         Take a right at the light onto N. Glebe road (follow signs for I-66 east)

-         Drive through 3 lights, take the on-ramp on the right for I-66 east

-         Take Exit #72 (Spout Run/Lee Highway).  At the end of the off-ramp, take a right onto Lee Highway/Route 29 North

-         Travel through several lights, take a Left onto N. Veitch (Bergmans cleaners on the corner).

-         N. Veitch becomes N. 21st Street.  Continue for ½ mile, then take a left to continue on N. 21st before you pass through a traffic light.

-         Townhouse community immediately on right; 1804 N. 21st Street.  Park on the street in the surrounding neighborhoods.

 

Any questions about directions, please call Todd Boss at (301) 237-0196 (cell).