"Kurt and I worked at Snow Country together. He was a big brother, friend and mentor. He taught me how to sell. We lost touch over the years, but were always glad to see each other when we connected. I had the pleasure to see him and his family a few months before he passed. My only regret I didn?t make more of the friendship after returning to Rochester. He will be missed by the large and extended Snow Country family. I always remember him laughing and smiling. "
In loving memory of
Kurt Van Hout
May 24, 1967 - April 23, 2020
PENFIELD - April 23, 2020. Kurt is survived by his wife, Janene L. Van Hout; daughter, Kennyn Van Hout; K9 Best Friend, MacIntyre; parents, Nancy Don Van Hout; sister, Amiee (Steve) Van Hout-Lewis; several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, dear friends colleagues.
Services were shared privately amongst family friends. Kurt was not a veteran, however, he proudly flew the American Flag from his home in support of those who are serving and have served our country. Those wishing should contribute to a charity that supports veteran causes in Kurt's honor.
Kurt J. Van Hout was born May 24, 1967. His parents Nancy Don Van Hout made the family home in Macedon, NY where Kurt and sister, Amiee grew up.
During Kurt's elementary years he took a liking to, minibikes, building model cars, swimming, spending time with friends and playing little league baseball.
Kurt graduated from Pal Mac High School. He played football for his school, played tight end and his mother, Nancy fondly remembers his #81 jersey.
While working at Verizon Kurt's life would drastically change for the good forever. It was here he met the love of his life Janene. They immediately caught each other's eye. Janene fondly recalls telling someone that she was going to marry Kurt! The two dated for 8 years and were married April 18, 2007.
Kurt and Janene's life were made whole once their daughter Kennyn arrived. Kurt could not get enough of Kennyn's activities. He was always there supporting her and rooting her on.
He was lucky, he loved his job and he worked with great companies. Travel wasn't necessarily his favorite thing to do but his responsibilities as a Regional Sales Manager allowed him to see the world. Kurt started his career in optics working for Navatar for many years. He then moved onto Jenopik and worked with some amazing companies to include the likes of, Disney World, I Max theatres and the NFL.
Family was very important to Kurt. He enjoyed spending time with family, no matter the event. He especially enjoyed family time in the 1000 Islands and in Jamaica.
When Kurt was not spending time with family or working, he enjoyed his down time. He was passionate about sailing, golf, snow skiing hockey. He was a crew member on the Silver Bullet. He was a pretty decent golfer and enjoyed hitting the links with his daughter, Kennyn friends, Todd and Tommy. Not too long ago he had the pleasure of playing at Torrey Pines CC. His love of snow skiing began back in high school when he joined the Pal Mac Ski Club. He had the pleasure of skiing at several different resorts. His passion for skiing found him working at Snow Country during his high school years. His love for hockey and The Washington Capitals hockey team brought him to become a part of a men's league team called "The Rochester Brew" for over 20 years.
To know Kurt was to love him. He will be truly missed, by his family, friends and colleagues at work.
Click Here to Sign Kurt's Virtual Register Book
Tributes
"I worked with Kurt for about ten years with Kurt supplying the best lenses for our crazy designs. He supported me on many stunning projects including one of the biggest and coolest the industry has ever seen. Kurt made that project happen with the heat of immense pressure on us all. But Kurt was reassuring and we knew to trust him to deliver at the highest level. He did, we all succeeded and were able to enjoy it, being part of the creation of an amazing family experience on the most prestigious theme park project to-date. I last saw Kurt in Amsterdam this February. My Mother had passed away in January and I was still recovering. He was kind and supportive and I was left, as I always was, feeling I had a decent friend and we could do interesting, fun and satisfying work together. We stayed in touch and he was kind enough to contact me to check all was ok when the pandemic lock-down occurred. I was so saddened and shocked to hear this news, it was deeply upsetting. I am grateful to be able to leave some kind words here. I am grieving still, sad to lose such an esteemed colleague and friend. My warmest condolences go to the family in this terrible time. Matt Roberts Portal Devices Limited, UK matt@portaldevices.com"
"I had the honor of meeting Kurt in our early days working at The Pittsford Pub and Snow Country. I have the privilege of being able to call him my friend after all these years. As I reflect on my memories, Kurt's smile and laughter always comes to mind. Kurt was one of the few people I've met who had the ability to walk into a room and immediately draw the attention from everyone without ever saying a word. He will be forever remembered. My heart and prayers go to Janene, Kennyn and the entire Van Hout family. Your friend, John Petrilli"
"Kurt and I met in the mid - 90's working at Snow Country together. Later I hired him to work at Navitar where he got his start in the optics world. Kurt never let me down as an employee or as a friend. Even though he left Navitar after 8 years we kept in touch and remained close friends. He is universally admired by everyone he worked with at Navitar. I admired his passion for life and especially how he loved Janene and Kenyn. There is no question he had his priorities straight. Very few people that I call friends are as good a person as Kurt was. I will miss him dearly. He will never be forgotten."
"For Janene, Kennyn, Mr./Mrs. Van Hout and all Kurt's family and friends...Kurt's memory is a blessing. I will remember Kurt as a true friend and a great human being. He always had a welcoming smile and he was truly interested in what others had to say...he was interested and empathetic. I learned from him and for that I will always be grateful. We had a lot of good times as we attended high school together, community college where our friendship grew and as adults as we continued to grow and stay in touch. My fondest memories will be how he sold me my first set of skis, Spring Break as Todd mentioned in his passage and how we would share our travel stories over text messages. I only wish we were able to connect face-to-face on one of our international journeys for work. Even though we were not able to be in the same city...we were always close. We will miss you."
"Kurt and I met at RTEmd/Sparton and stayed in touch after each of us left the company. After my family and I moved to Texas 2 years ago, we continued to stay in touch, trying to meet up in a mutual city. Although we were teammates for only a short period, it seemed we had been friends for so much longer. His family is in our thoughts and prayers and I will continue to think of him often. God Bless."
"I worked with Kurt at RTEmd for a short time. He was a kind and sharing person, and everyone around felt comfortable in his presence. He was taken from us far before his time. RIP, Kurt!"
"Nancy and Don, our deepest sympathy to you and your entire family. We are so very sorry for your loss! Jim and Betty Booth"
"I had the good fortune of meeting and working with Kurt when he was bar tending at the Pittsford Pub in the early 90's. We always had a blast working the bar together, just the right dose of sarcastic wit was his trademark. We lived together in Fairport in the summer of 1994, where he forced me to listen to the bare naked ladies far too much. We hadn't seen each other for a few years and caught back up before he started at Jenoptik. No surprise, he loved talking about Janine and Kennyn. I admired his ability to stand his ground for what he believed in. He will be missed and our hearts go out to Janine, Kennyn and the entire family. Kevin Kenny"
"Friends for 38 years, it's hard to pick a favorite memory or favorite day with Kurt since we shared so much together. One of my favorite memories was spring break vacation (1987) with our friends Chris, Kelly, and Steve. We still laugh and share memories of that trip when we were young. It's so easy to remember Kurt laughing and having a good time. In our later years as grown men, I remember the day my wife and I met Kennyn for the first time. Such a proud dad when she was born and always looked forward to retuning home to her and Janene when he was away. I am going to miss you, Kurt."
"I can remember the first time I met Kurt. I was in high school, I looked over in the next door neighbor's driveway, and saw this huge Dodge truck with massive tires and was lifted to what seemed about 10 feet tall. Cool truck! I had to see who was driving that thing. We had a great conversation. A few years later I was a senior in high school, I knew he was going to MCC and asked him how it was. He immediately said "I will take you there and show you!" Sure enough, one morning he picked me up and took me there and gave me the tour. That is how he was. Kurt was a generous person that enjoyed the company of others. R.I.P my friend, you will be missed."