A devoted couple at St. Joseph Church in Alexandria, Ludwig and Barbara Kuttner, died within 48 hours of each other June 12 and 13 at ages 89 and 87.
The Kuttners, who were married for 67 years, served parish communities in several states and throughout their lives. Ludwig and Barbara are survived by their six children, 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Ludwig was born in Rome, Italy as a German refugee in 1934. He was raised Catholic but because of his Jewish descent, he and his family fled to Washington in 1940. Ludwig eventually graduated from Holy Cross College in the ROTC program. Barbara was born in Tuckahoe, N.Y., in 1936 and grew up in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. She studied fine arts at the College of New Rochelle.
The couple met at a mixer in college and married in 1957. After graduating college, Ludwig served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an artillery officer. Throughout the beginning of their marriage, the Kuttner family moved to Oklahoma, North Carolina, New York, and Washington, D.C. and Michigan, before moving back to Washington to raise their family.
After his military service, Ludwig started his career in information technology sales with IBM, Honeywell and GE. He spent most of his career as an executive with the federal government primarily with the Internal Revenue Service.
Barbara was a devoted mother and president of the Parent Teacher Association at the schools during her children’s upbringing. She then trained at the Library of Congress where she then created her own business restoring antique volumes and creating bindings.
For 25 years, the Kuttners planted roots in Washington and served Blessed Sacrament parish. Ludwig and Barbara also played an active role in establishing the Christian Family Movement. The Kuttners had a “passion for social justice,” according to the pastor of St. Joseph, Father Donald M. Fest.
“They did everything together,” Father Fest said. “They were a great example of marriage, love and togetherness.”
The Kuttners retired to Arizona for 24 years and played an active role in their parish, volunteering and giving back to their community. They moved to Alexandria in 2019 and spent the remainder of their lives serving others and participating in parish activities at St. Joseph.
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered at St. Joseph Church June 21. The family suggests donations in their honor be made to the DC Central Kitchen.
