Donald “Don” Hurd passed away peacefully on December 21, 2019, at home surrounded by family after a five-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Don was born on August 8, 1942 to Paul Hurd and Harriet Nelson Hurd in Sidney, MT. He was the fourth of five children.
On October 24, 1959, Don married Elaine Butka, his childhood sweetheart. They had just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. From 1960 to 1969 they had six daughters, all while Don was a college and graduate school student.
Education & Career
Don attended Montana State University between 1960-1970, completing his MS degree and PhD exams in Physics. During his 7 years as a full-time graduate student, he took every course in physics and enough graduate mathematics courses for a PhD in Mathematics as well.
Upon completing his graduate studies, he moved to San Jose, California with his family to work at ESL/TRW Space & Defense, where he spent his entire 27-year career. At the peak of his career he was a systems engineering manager / program manager of $100M top-secret reconnaissance programs for a US military intelligence agency.
In 2000, after retirement, Don and Elaine relocated to Helena, where he focused on volunteering in education projects. He taught part-time at Carroll College in mathematics, physics, and robotics. He was the technical leader of the “Explore the Air” exhibit for Helena’s Exploration Works children’s museum and was the mentor / coach for a high school robotics team in Helena. He was also a member of the board of directors for the Montana Learning Center. A lifelong learner, Don continued to take online courses in math and science into his 70s.
Hobbies
From 1970 to 1995 his passion was flying sailplanes (gliders). He logged over 3,000 hours and 100,000 miles in cross-country soaring. He won five regional championships in California and Nevada, took 8th place in the 1987 15m National Soaring Championships, held five national records and one world record, and was the United States winner of the 1986-87 Barron Hilton Soaring Competition.
In addition to soaring, Don was extremely active and loved skiing and playing handball. In 2001, he was on a team of five from Helena that ski mountaineered for six days across the top of the Alps. In 2002, he won the Montana State Handball Championship in the over 60 division. In 2012, he and his partner won the Montana State Handball Doubles in the over 70 division. That year, he competed in the World Handball Championship in Ireland.
Personal
Don will be remembered by his family as brilliant, kind, generous, a daredevil, and above all a devoted family man. He was a great example of love, kindness, positivity, hard work, commitment and integrity in all that he did. He generously gave his time and talents to anyone in need, whether it was his close family or a near-stranger. Asking him a simple math question would get you the derivation of the formula and its relationship to quantum physics and the theory of relativity. Taking a “not too hard” ski run with him may have included jumping off a cornice and turning on a shear face between trees three feet apart! He was also known for his love of sweets, especially chocolate; when his daughters got in trouble growing up, all would be forgiven with a homemade batch of cookies.
He is survived by his wife, Elaine; daughters, Joan (Curt) Miller, of Helena, Kathleen (Saurabh) Jain, Patricia (Vance) Armstrong, and Susan (Terry) Anderson of San Jose, California, Mary Beth (Aaron) Carter of Fresno, California, and Colleen (Larry) Sanders of San Diego, California; brother, Robert (Carol) Hurd; brother-in-law, Art (Marilynn) Sturdevant; sisters-in-law, Patricia Hurd, Pat (Mike) Schuldt, Peggy (Bill) Roberts, and Anita (Tim Richard) Christensen; grandchildren, Nicole (Adam) Colmone, Joshua (Whitney) Miller, Matthew (Erin) Miller, Renee Anderson, Ashley Armstrong, Kyle (Brooke) Miller, Shelby Anderson, Brett (Giselle) Armstrong, Marin (Daniel) Hibert, Griffin Carter, Jacquelyn Sanders, Kiran Jain, Malachi Sanders, Lauren Carter, and Sophia Sanders. He is also survived by nine great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and extended family.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Harriet Hurd; brother, Richard Hurd; sister, Suzanne Sturdevant; and grandson, Drew Armstrong. He was followed closely in death by his brother, Philip Hurd, on December 23, 2019.
A Funeral Mass is scheduled for 12:00 p.m., Thursday, January 16, 2020 at the Cathedral of St. Helena, 530 N. Ewing St. A Reception will follow the Mass in the Brondel Center of the Cathedral. In lieu of flowers, Memorials in Don’s name are suggested to Exploration Works, 995 Carousel Way, Helena, MT 59601; or to the Carroll College Math Department, 1601 N Benton Ave., Helena, MT 59625. Please visit below to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Don.
Edward Meardon says
The family has my deepest condolences at their loss. I was one of the Respiratory Therapists that cared for Don. I enjoyed his (and his wife’s) sense of humor and I feel blessed to have cared for him in his times of need. I wish I could attend the funeral, but my wife and I will be visiting our grandchildren in the midwest at that time. Still, Don’s family will be in our prayers.
Frank Kromkowski says
~ From Frank Kromkowski, on behalf of the Helena Table Tennis Club :
We are so sorry to hear that Don has passed away.
We remember Don as a beautiful person and friend. We always enjoyed being with him and are so thankful that Don co-founded the Helena Table Tennis Club back in October 2011 (originally playing at the Broadwater Athletic Club, using the tables that Don bought for the club).
We thank Don for his generosity, encouragement, intelligence and kindness — and his enthusiasm and work to bring a public table tennis venue to Helena.
Our heartfelt sympathy is with Elaine, Don’s wife, and all the Hurd family.
Liz Gundersen says
I remember Don’s work with the Explore the Air exhibit team at ExplorationWorks very well. Jim Crichton and Tom Cladouhos were also on that team – what a trio!. Don recruited his friends from the radio-controlled model airplane group to build a wind tunnel in which you could fly a little plane – pitch, roll and yaw – made out of a discarded MRI tube and a shaved-down wooden propeller – what an impressive (and windy) exhibit that was!
Then he bought computer components and taught a group of teens to build the 3 computers we used for the flight-simulation software exhibits.
Everything I know about ‘angle of attack’, stall, and lift I learned from Don – I never actually flew a hang glider – but I bet I could –
All of us from that time remember Don’s passion for flight, computers, robotics, and his desire to teach the next generation, and I know many of the young people he worked with are now in engineering and computer work.
I also remember how proud he was of his children and grandchildren .
I am sending our sympathy on behalf of ExplorationWorks, an institution he helped build and inspire.
Katie Link says
I first met Don in 1960 when he and Elaine lived across the hall from us at Montana State College (MSU today). What fun we had. We had our first baby about the same time as Don and Elaine had their first baby. Then we had a second baby as did Elaine and Don, and a third baby for each family. We had no money, but we played bridge, had potlucks, and did some studying. Don took Elaine and I on our first skiing trip. First, Don took me to the top of the ski hill and told me to ski across, then do a kick turn, then ski back across. He left me and went back down the hill to get Elaine. Well, I could ski across, then had to fall down to stop, get back up, ski across, fall down, ski across, fall down until at last I did reach the bottom of the hill absolutely exhausted. Elaine came down in a toboggan. When we got home my husband was so excited to hear about our day and I was so tired I could hardly walk or talk. Needless to say, I did not ski again until about five years later. It was so easy and natural for Don and I never let him forget that day. What a wonderful man. I will think of him often and smile with each memory.