Curt Silvers

With great sadness, we say goodbye to Curt Silvers, whose brave and enduring 12-year battle with multiple cancers and heart disease ended at the age of 71 on April 28, 2025. He said that he did not intend to survive these things; he intended to transcend them. And, in true Curt form, he NEVER gave up on that intention–beating the odds over and over again.

Curt was born and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, with his mother, Mary Teresa Pike Myers, and his father, Lawrence Lamar Severs (Buster). He learned his positive attitude and zest for life from his mother, who, at the age of 96, continues to inspire us all today. His father passed away when Curt was 21, and his younger brother, Dennis Severs, sadly passed a few years ago. His other siblings survive Curt: Diana Reece, Deloris and Jack Spurrier, and Gary Severs. He also leaves behind many chosen brothers who have loved and supported him dearly through the years: Ron Silverman, Michael Thomas, John Griffith, and Curt Campbell.

While in high school, Curt wanted to be an astronaut. He discovered that many astronauts at that time had graduated from the aerospace program at Purdue University, so that’s where he attended college. During his first year there, he discovered he was color blind and could not fly. Since that wasn’t an option, he returned to Kentucky and graduated from the University of Louisville with a master's degree in mechanical engineering in 1977.

Curt was an avid fly fisherman, an artist, an engineer who could fix just about anything, a builder, a gardener, a devoted pet dad, and he loved to sing. He was a serious athlete and a long-distance cyclist. As a young man, he flew his bicycle to France to participate in the 750-mile Paris-Brest-Paris race. He loved tennis, skiing, hiking, bowling, pickleball, and yoga. He was also intensely passionate about Dodgers baseball and Louisville Cardinals football and basketball.

Curt worked for IBM in Austin, TX, before relocating to Santa Fe, NM, where he worked for the New Mexico Environment Department. In 1998, he met his wife, Essie Silvers, to whom he was devoted for more than 26 years. They relocated to Asheville, NC, in 2009, where Curt taught engineering at AB Tech and enjoyed great fly fishing, loving friends, and spectacular sunsets. Essie and their dog, Micha, will cherish Curt’s memory as they find a way forward without his enduring love and support.

As an inspiration to those who knew him, Curt was a passionate, sensitive, generous, and tenacious man who loved and lived life to its fullest. He continues to encourage those of us who were blessed to walk this path of life alongside him. Fish on, beloved.