Jordan Elias Mraz-Kurker

Jordan Elias Kurker-Mraz

Jordan passed away on September 21, 2025, in Tucson, AZ. He was born in Burlington, VT, on February 16, 1992, where he lived until moving with his family to Tucson in 2003. Jordan graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson and then attended Denison University in Granville, OH.

From his youth, Jordan was a voracious reader and had an active, wide-ranging intellect. He could be seen, with a travel mug of tea in hand, walking to his elementary school, lost in the book held close to his face. With his ever-curious mind he preferred self-learning over formal education and enjoyed the camaraderie and competition of the extracurricular spelling bee team in grade school and the Academic Decathlon in high school. While at Denison Jordan was pursuing a major in Classical Studies and worked in the Online Communications department.

While growing up in Vermont, Jordan had fun outdoors during all the seasons. He loved camping, alpine skiing, playing hockey on the backyard rink, and adventures with his 4-H club. Memorable trips were ice fishing on the lake and an overnight stay in the mountains in a handmade snow shelter, both in subzero temps. Some months after moving to the Sonoran Desert, Jordan remarked that “Arizona has two seasons, summer and hell.” But he had adapted to the heat by then, having found relief at the neighborhood pool where he joined the swim team and quickly made a new group of friends. Through his Tucson 4-H club and a youth program with the AZ Game and Fish Department, he continued shooting skeet, trap, and sporting clays, a sport he first practiced in Vermont. Jordan found more friends and mentors at the Tucson range and excelled in competitions in and out of the state, ultimately becoming a certified referee. In high school he trained in ninjitsu, outdoors, year round. As a freshman at Denison he joined the sailing team and found a new passion competing in regattas around the Midwest, both for his school and on private boats.

After leaving college, Jordan lived and worked in Vermont, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson, and New York City. He was employed in administration and sales at several established companies and in startups. He also worked regularly in hospitality, starting at age 14 in the kitchen of a gelato shop and most recently as a bartender. Jordan was a talented writer, a skill he used in his work settings and in creative, expository, and critical pieces that he published online.

From a young age, Jordan was kind, affectionate, funny and loyal. He enthusiastically affirmed and celebrated his family and friends. His warmth, curiosity, and quick wit served him well, both personally and professionally. He was engaging, approachable, and non-judgmental with friends, roommates, and customers. Jordan was a skilled shopper and enjoyed fine things. He eagerly shared his opinions on bespoke clothing (steam, don’t iron!), gourmet foods, chef’s knives (stone sharpen!), literature, and opera (Maria Callas!). He was equally cozy with fast food, dive bars, trendy music, and dented vehicles.

Jordan had a heart-felt sense of justice. He was troubled by abuses of power and was an advocate for victims of systemic oppression. The suffering caused by police brutality, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and civil war in Yemen weighed heavily on his mind. He yearned for a world with more compassion, equity, and tolerance. We honor Jordan’s memory when we embrace these values and act on our moral convictions.

Jordan’s personal suffering was deeper than many of us knew and his death by suicide is a heartbreaking and devastating loss to many. Our immense grief reflects our deep love and care for him. His absence from our lives will be an ongoing sorrow but memories of his universal empathy, off-beat humor, and clever commentary will continue to make us smile and keep his spirit alive.

Jordan is survived by his mother, Michelle Mraz (Rob Backus) of Burlington; his father, Mitchell H. Kurker (Juanita) of Tucson; his brother; his grandmother, Frances Kurker of Tucson, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He was predeceased by his grandparents, Margaret and Charles Mraz of Middlebury, VT, and his grandfather, Mitchell A. Kurker, of Tucson. A memorial service in Burlington will be announced at a later date.

If you would like to make a contribution in Jordan’s memory, please consider your local library, center for the arts, or agency for mental health services.

We are grateful to those who have expressed their sympathy and provided comfort and support since his passing. Thank you.

(Photo taken by Jordan, April 2022. If you look closely at the signs you will see a message that is helpful to those who are grieving him.)