Obituary of Kurt Andrew Gillhaus

Kurt Andrew Gillhaus, 51, passed away on January 25, 2016 in West Hills, CA after losing his fight with a deadly form of lymphoma. He faced death with the same courage and strength he always showed in life, all with great dignity. Kurt was born in Queens, NY on February 4, 1964. He and his family moved from Queens to Westfield, NJ in 1976. He graduated from Rutgers University in 1986 and began working at Prudential Insurance in Newark, NJ that same year. He was transferred to the Woodland Hills, CA office in 1990, where he met his wife Suzanne King. They married in 1996 in Malibu, CA. Eric Andrew was born in 1997, Christopher Conner was born in 2000 and Carly Suzanne was born in 2003. He leaves behind his wife and three children. In NJ, he leaves behind two brothers Craig (Donna) and Ronald, and his parents Frank and Patricia. In CA, he leaves behind Shari & Steve Moelter (sister in-law/brother-in-law), as well as nephews Travis Moelter and Brian Jones (Karina), niece Kelly Jones (Collin & baby Hunter). He attended Westfield High School (1982) where he played baseball and football. He brought his love of team sports to his two sons who both play prominent roles in both high school soccer and private soccer clubs. His daughter, Carly, is a performer and student of ballet. Kurt was an avid NY Giants and NY Mets fan who loved to watch sports with his family and friends. He was the founder and President of an insurance / investment company based in Calabasas, CA. He also loved to travel and owning his own business gave him many opportunities to travel all over the world. His greatest joy in life was his family. He was proud of their academic achievements (and there are many!), their passion for soccer (Eric and Christopher) and dance for Carly, but mostly he was proud of their loving relationship with each other and their belief that family comes first. He always beamed with pride when talking about his wife Suzanne and their kids. Kurt will be sorely missed by family, friends, sports world acquaintances, business associates and clients. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the kids’ college funds. Information on the Go Fund Me will be available shortly.