BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- A 99-year-old Kern County veteran died peacefully at his Bakersfield home on Sept. 15. James Ade Kurfess was born in Chicago in 1925. Kurfess went on to study at Stanford University, where he graduated with a degree in geology and met his wife, Barbara Brydolf Kurfess. Kurfess worked as a geophysicist in oil exploration for various companies. His career took him to Peru and later Venezuela. Heritage Park re-opening ceremony in east Bakersfield Kurfess later married Barbara and had four kids while living an exciting life overseas before settling in Bakersfield, where they retired. In Bakersfield, he became a long-time member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church and sat on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Kern County. He will be laid to rest later this month next to Barbara at the Bakersfield National Cemetery.