Curtis was the undertaker of Eternity, California.
He and his assistant Pete were examining the body of the Fifth Doctor, who had been hanged as a criminal. Pete wanted to display the body as a warning to the townspeople, but Curtis felt that even a criminal deserved a proper burial. He sent Pete away to get a sack for burying; then, to his surprise, the Doctor sat up and spoke. Curtis ran off in fear. (PROSE: A Town Called Eternity)