Outdoor person, loving, caring, down to earth, heart of gold.
Even as a child, Curt was loving, caring, funny and smart. A straight “A” student through grade and middle school, he was also a good football player. Though he liked the sport, he decided not to play anymore because he couldn’t accept the way the coaches talked to the players.
Curt has a younger brother and sister, Chris, and Tiffany, and two step-sisters, Misty, and Amber. He loved them all dearly, and they loved him just as much. He had a special relationship with each one of them. Being older and responsible, Curt got Tiffany off the bus every day, gave her a snack, and started her on her homework. Curt especially loved throwing the football with her. He had a picture of Tiffany at four, catching the football; he proudly called it “Tiffany’s Heisman pose!”
Curt and Chris loved to fish. “I don’t think there was a body of water within 200 miles of our home that we didn’t have a fishing experience at,” Curt’s mom, Sandra, said. “They loved the outdoors and if they weren’t fishing, we would all be outside playing basketball or throwing the football.”
Curt was a huge Alabama football fan, and though Misty and Amber were Auburn fans, they didn’t let that get in the way of their love for each other. They were close and hung out all the time. During football season, when Curt and Sandra talked on the phone, Curt would not say “goodbye”, he’d say “Roll Tide” at the end of their conversation. It was his thing.
Though Curt was the life of the party, he was also dependable and caring. He loved the outdoors, especially time spent deep sea fishing. One memorable vacation to Dauphin Island resulted in catching sharks and other fish in the Bay. “I was so glad I could spend that time with him,” his mom said. Curt was also a foodie. Sandra remembers, “If he had a good dining experience somewhere, or cooked something good, he’d take a photo and post it on social media.” He hoped to become a chef or an offshore fishing charter captain.
During Curt’s active addiction, he would try to get off drugs alone, but the withdrawals were so difficult. It made him sick, grumpy, and selfish. He would slip back into using something and lie when asked about needle marks or why he was so thin. “It just tore my heart in two,” Sandra shared. “I know he hated being that way. He didn’t want that to be his life. I wish there was a way I could have saved him from all of it. It is not that simple to just stop. I love him with my whole heart and soul.” Sandra misses his sweet voice saying “Hey mom, it’s your eldest, though she has a voicemail recording of him saying it. She misses his 6’3” frame towering over her, engulfing her in a hug. “I definitely knew I was hugged after a Curt squeeze, she said. “The family loves and misses him terribly,” Sandra said.
Curt’s large group of friends attended his celebration of life, where each one hugged his mom and reminded her of how much he meant to them. “They all agreed that Curt was the last one they thought this would happen to,” Sandra stated. ‘Fentanyl and methamphetamine took him from us like a thief in the night.’
Curt’s mother, Sandra Estell, provided the information for this narrative.
October 27, 1984-January 25, 2023-Age 38
Portrait Artist: Shawn Faust
Narrative Writer: Barbara Francois
