After a bravely fought battle with progressive neuropathy, James W. Hurst passed away peacefully on June 28, 2022. He was surrounded by his family, all of whom loved him dearly and will never quite be the same without him. Jim was a kind man who always took time to really listen to other people, and everyone he met went away feeling better about themselves after spending time with him. He had a rare sense of humor, and never took himself too seriously. He had a smile and a joke for everyone, which never faltered despite his recent illness. Even the nurses at the hospital fell in love with him and his cheerful disposition. He will be greatly missed by all of his friends and family.
Born on January 30, 1936 to Walter and Hilda (Haase) Hurst, Jim was the youngest of two adventurous boys. He spent an idyllic childhood in Fillmore, CA, where he and his brother Stan had fun, drove tractors, and most importantly, learned the value of hard work. After graduation from Fillmore High School, Jim went to USC to earn his engineering degree. He became a lifelong USC fan, and could often be seen sporting his Trojan regalia as he attended football games. While at college, he became very involved in his Sigma Chi fraternity, as well as in student politics and various student support groups. While at home visiting Fillmore, he began dating Linda Eberly, also from Fillmore. They soon were in a long-distance relationship (Jim at USC, Linda at UCSB), and were married in July of 1958, two weeks after Jim graduated from USC with his BS in Mechanical Engineering. He immediately began working at Raytheon in Goleta, where he worked on a number of crucial defense projects until his retirement 40 years later in 1998. During this time, he and Linda lovingly raised three children.
After his retirement, Jim helped with the Engineering Academy at Dos Pueblos High School. He enjoyed working with the students, and loved that he could help by passing on his love of engineering to a new group of young adults. During his retirement years, Jim and Linda enjoyed traveling to places such as Spain, Scotland and Aruba. Jim also developed a unique irrigation system, and he and his son Bill started their business, Colt Irrigation, LLC. He and Bill continued to work on this together until his passing. He was also very active in the local Republican Club until his illness made it impossible for
him to continue.
Jim is survived by his wife of almost 64 years, Linda (Eberly) Hurst; his three children, Holly Yee (John), William Hurst (Amy), and Jennifer Deming (Jeff); his six grandchildren, Christopher Yee, Courtney Cox (Kory), Matt Yee (Cristina), Jena McCollum (Austin), Julia Deming, and Blake Hurst; and his two great-grandchildren, Joseph and Claire McCollum. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Beverly Hurst, his brother-in-law, William Eberly (Amanda), his sister-in-law Bonnie Eberly, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Hilda Hurst, his brother, Stan Hurst, his in-laws Orin and Betty Jane Eberly, and his brother-in-law James Eberly.
We would like to thank the amazing nurses and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for their incredible and compassionate care during the final stage of Jim’s illness. Their support was a comfort to Jim as well as to all of the family.
A celebration of Jim’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the GBS | CIDP Foundation International at https://www.gbs-cidp.org or to the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering at viterbischool.usc.edu. Fight on!
