Charles Wordner Hurd Jr.

Charles W Hurd, Jr. took his final flight on December 13, 2020 at the age of 93. He was born on March 1, 1927 to Charles and Helene (Poole) Hurd in El Paso, Texas. Charles served in the US Navy during WWII from 1945-1946 and in the Naval Reserve from 1950-1961. He then started his own business, Hurd Distributing Company, which he owned and operated from 1961-1992.

In his younger years, Charles enjoyed playing football. He was active all of his life and especially enjoyed tennis and skiing. As time passed, he also developed new hobbies which led to him becoming an accomplished pilot and photographer. Flying airplanes was a source of great joy for Charles. He type rated in many different aircrafts including a Lear jet, which he considered to be one of his greatest accomplishments.

He made meaningful contributions to the El Paso community. He was a Bank of the West board member for 12 years and on the Board of Trustees for El Paso Community College. He also offered his time and loyalties to the Masons. One of his most memorable contributions is planting the Mexican Poppies that cover the east side of Mount Franklin from his airplane in the 1980’s. El Paso celebrates the beautiful display in an annual Poppy Festival. They continue to bloom every year to this day.

Charles was very beloved and respected. He leaves behind a legacy of generosity and determination that is unparalleled. His memory will live on in the bloom of the poppies and in the wispy, white jet streams that stretch across the sky.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Helene (Poole) Hurd; first wife Thelma Harris Hurd; second wife Virginia Dehaven Hurd. He is survived by daughter Debra Bartlett and husband Larry of Ft Worth, TX; son Stephen Hurd and wife Susan of Austin, TX; daughter Julie Hurd of Sanford, FL; 9 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his stepchildren Tracey Sartino, Bryan Dehaven, Chad Dehaven and their families. Charles was also close to Piper Simon and Becky Tovar, who assisted Charles in many ways during the last few years, and Erling Brabaek, who served Charles as his main pilot for over 20 years.

The family would like to express gratitude to Querencia at Barton Creek and Halcyon Home Health for their compassionate and attentive care as well as Allison Russell and Dr. Anjana Phillip with Austin Geriatric Specialists.

A committal service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, January 8, 2021. In-person attendance will be by invitation only. Others who wish to attend may join via live stream at allsaintsaustin.org/hurd. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your local Humane Society.

View the memorial folder at the link below:

https://scratch-mem-com.s3.amazonaws.com/Knowledgebase/ArticleImages/HURD,Charles%20Memorial%20Folder.pdf

View the order of service here:

https://scratch-mem-com.s3.amazonaws.com/Knowledgebase/ArticleImages/Hurd_order%20of%20service.pdf