June L. Kurtz

June L. Kurtz, 81, recently of Newport, RI, and formerly of Los Angeles, CA, died on May 23, 2026. She was the mother of Matt Yates of Portsmouth.

Born in Los Angeles, CA on June 28, 1944, she was the daughter of the late John and Sosie (Stenian) Beylerian. She grew up in the Los Angeles area and while she was a high school student, as a member of the school band, she was able to be a part of the 1960 Winter Olympics ceremonies in Squaw Valley, CA. She enjoyed a rewarding career as an insurance adjuster, working at Allstate Insurance for 40 years. In her free time, she enjoyed all forms of crafting, including needlework, sewing and ceramics. In the last few years, she moved to Rhode Island with her son Matt and found joy in her new environment, observing the seasons and nature, which were nowhere to be found in Los Angeles. June is survived by her son Matt Yates and his wife Leslie (Sherman) of Portsmouth.

In honor of June’s lifelong love of pets, please consider a donation in her memory to the Potter League for Animals, www.potterleague.org

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of June L. Kurtz, please visit our flower store.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...