Jeffrey Louis Hurd

Jeffrey “Jeff” Louis Hurd, 66, of Hesston, Kansas, passed away on February 22, 2023, while traveling in Slovenia.

Services for Jeff will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at Petersen’s Family Funeral Home in Newton, Kansas, with a reception following at the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston, Kansas. Memorial contributions may be made in Jeff’s name to the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, or to the Iowa River Hospice Home in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Jeff was born in Perry, Iowa on December 18, 1956, to Marion and Jean (Doran) Hurd. His family farmed for years in Ogden, Iowa, then moved to New Virginia, Iowa where he graduated from Interstate 35 High School in 1975. Jeff attended Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, studying farm power and equipment mechanics, then began his career with Massey Ferguson in Des Moines in 1976. There he met the love of his life Deb (Odefey) Hurd on a blind date. They were married on September 29, 1979.

In his early years at Massey Ferguson, Jeff participated in harvest runs across the state, his ready smile visible behind the tractor wheel in old photos. When the company was acquired by AGCO, Jeff moved with his family from Indianola, Iowa to Liberty, Missouri in 1993, then again to Hesston, Kansas in 2001.

Jeff was a devoted husband and father, spending weekends camping and boating with his family, and taking them on regular trips to their cabin on Lake Minnitaki in Ontario, Canada. His extraordinary love for his wife was evident to all who met them and saw his constant adoration and affection. He also cared intently for others, attending to every detail while no one was watching. To his kids and grandkids, he was a loving and silly “Papa”, always ready to play. His family will treasure memories of his silly faces, wry humor, infectious laugh, ability to fix anything, and his sweaty brow when eating sweet corn.

Jeff is survived by his wife Deb (Odefey) Hurd; his three children: Stephanie (Matt) Elliott of Parkville, Missouri, Becca (Chris) Jones of Kansas City, Missouri, and Chris (Jen) Hurd of Derby, Kansas; his four siblings: Bob (Evelyn) Hurd of Lawndale, California, Fr. Tim Hurd of Shreveport, Louisiana, Ron (Ruth) Hurd of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Ginger (Mike) Broussard of Shreveport, Louisiana; his grandchildren: Annabel, Emma, Phoebe, Ivy, Porter, Hazel, River, Lincoln, and Maverick; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Jeff is preceded in death by his parents: Marion and Jean (Doran) Hurd, his grandson: Crosby, and his niece: Kirsten.

-lovingly written by the family