Drenda Kae Kurtz, age 77, went to be with her Heavenly Father on Monday, August 23, 2021. She was born in Van Wert, Ohio on April 16, 1944, where she lived until she was 10 years old. She then moved with her family to Kendallville, Indiana. She graduated from Kendallville High School in 1962. She was incredibly involved in school activities including cheerleading and spending time with her friends. Her senior year she began working at Food Town as a short order cook. After graduating, she started working for Kraft Foods in Kendallville. She met her future husband who also began working at Kraft. They were married on November 21, 1964, after which they moved to California to a military base for her husband's military service in the marines. At the end of military duty, they moved back to Kendallville for a short time before moving to Fort Wayne. Drenda was an employee of Fort Wayne Community Schools for 27 years as both a satellite food server and as an aide on buses for the handicapped children. She loved each of those children and they loved her. She had so many good friends and enjoyed going to garage sales, playing cards, painting ceramics, and just laughing and having fun. She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Almeda Hoerner of Kendallville, IN and a brother William Cox from Seguin, Texas. She is survived by her husband of nearly 57 years, James Kurtz; a daughter Paula Kennedy; a son Todd Kurtz, and grandchildren Kaitlyn ( Kyle) Williams; Caleb Kurtz; Noah Kurtz; and Faith Kurtz. A private family service will be held at a later date. FairHaven Funeral Home and Cremation Service is handling arrangements.