Kurt Ernst Ammann passed away at home on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, after a long, difficult struggle with the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Kurt E. Ammann was born on May 17, 1925, in Bern Switzerland to Ernst and Madeleine Sahli Ammann. Kurt grew up in the charming small town of Belp in Switzerland, Kanton of Bern. Growing up in Switzerland, he was an avid skier. He broke his leg twice skiing, once in Switzerland and once here on Mount Hood.  As a young man, he played soccer and Ice hockey. He also played the accordion. His mother taught him how to dance, and he did love to dance!

He successfully completed his secondary and high school education before trying out various apprenticeship programs.

He settled on an apprenticeship in baking and pursued a professional career as a “Pâtissier” or pastry chef. He was employed in some of the most famous and prestigious Swiss 5-Star hotels: Bellevue Palace Hotel Bern; Grand Hotel Wengen in Gstaad, Kanton of Bern; Palace Hotel Burgenstock Lake Lucern; Hotel Alpina St. Moritz, and Kongresshaus Zurich as well as Hotel Semiramis in Cairo, Egypt.

Kurt fulfilled his Swiss military obligations as a mess sergeant. He was in charge of feeding a Battalion of 1,000 soldiers.

When Kurt was working at the Derby Hotel in Davos in 1952, he was offered a job in the United States at the Shamrock Hotel in Dallas, Texas. He always wanted to come to the United States and quickly accepted the offer. He married his girlfriend Trudi Luthi, packed up his things and set sail for an exciting new adventure! Trudi and Kurt had a daughter named Sarah.

When Kurt came to the United States, he did not speak a word of English. He taught himself how to speak, read and write in English by reading the newspaper and watching the news on television.

In the United States, his extraordinary culinary talent was recognized and rewarded with better paying jobs and salary increases. As a member of the American Culinary Federation, he won numerous awards for his baking. When asked if he ever entered a culinary competition that he did not win a first-place award, he simply replied “No.”

Kurt took a position at The Houston Club, a prestigious private club, as Food Production Manager (Executive Chef). Since Kurt always wanted to be in the front-of-the house management rather than the Kitchen, he applied for a Night Manager’s position and changed careers. From there, he was engaged to open a private club, The Summit Club, on the top of a bank building. After that he moved on to other club general manager positions in the private club industry. Also, at this time he had married Elaine Glass and they had two twin daughters, Charity and Feather.

In 1977, Kurt attended a Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) workshop on Marketing and Promotion at the University of Houston. It was here that he met his future wife Lt. Col. Dolly Way. Sitting next to each other in class for 3 days, these professional colleagues became casual friends. For the next 10 years, the two would exchange greetings at the annual CMAA Conference. In 1987 when Kurt was managing the Garden of the Gods Club and Kissing Camels Golf Club, the 2 met again at the CMAA Conference in Las Vegas. This time they were both divorced and spent the entire week getting to know each other. Their friendship turned quickly into romance. A year later, Dolly moved from her job in Wisconsin to Colorado Springs. They were married on February 14, 1988, at the Garden of the Gods Club. The couple resided in Colorado Springs until Kurt accepted a position as the General Manager of Oak Ridge Country Club in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Dolly followed him to Minneapolis. He retired in 1992 and joined Dolly in Austin, Minnesota where she was managing the Austin Country Club.

During his club management career, Kurt earned the prestigious Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation. He remained a member of the CMAA until his death.

While living in Austin, Kurt volunteered for the local chapter of the American Red Cross and became regional director for disaster services. He kept busy and occupied in retirement. He drove a school bus and a limousine for a company in Austin. He enjoyed socializing with his neighbors and went fishing in Canada with one of them. Kurt was very popular with the ladies in the neighborhood when he was thinning out the 250 varieties of Hostas that grew in the extensive landscaping around the house. He was happy to give the shoots away to the neighborhood gals.

Kurt followed Dolly when she changed jobs, taking care of selling their homes, packing, moving their belongings and 2 cats. The first move was to Edwardsville, Illinois where Dolly was the CEO of Sunset Hills Country Club. Here he managed the Swimming Pool for Dolly. He said that it was the hardest job that he ever had!

The next move in 2002 was to Tri-Cities, WA where Kurt joined Dolly in Richland. He enjoyed grilling and entertaining friends and family on the patio, wine tasting, dining out around town, listening to music, riding his bicycle, working out at Gold’s Gym, attending Wine Society events, and watching Dolly and the Tri-City Tappers perform. He helped out with the Tri-Cities Wine Festival for several years.

Kurt celebrated his 100 Birthday at Meadow Springs Country Club with 80 of his closest friends. His 101 Birthday was celebrated with friends at a Tri-Cities Wine Society event. He will be remembered as an old-world gentleman who truly loved his wife.

Kurt was preceded in death by his father, Ernst Ammann; mother, Madeleine Sahli Ammann; brother, Werner Ammann; sister, Kathy Guggisberg; and daughter, Sarah Woodring.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Carolyn “Dolly” Ammann; twin daughters, Charity Leigh Ritterman and her husband, Glenn Ritterman, and Feather Lee Kakkar and her husband, Jatin Kakkar; grandson, Brian Woodring and his wife Susie Woodring; and great-granddaughters, Sarah and Lara Woodring.