Gary Hurd

Gary Hurd, age 82, passed away at home on Dec 10th, 2024. He was born in Worcester MA, on Sept 1st, 1942, the oldest of six children and son of Roscoe and Winnifred (Seymour) Hurd. Gary attended public schools in Westhampton and graduated in 1961 from Smith Vocational and Agricultural Highschool where he studied agriculture. Soon after high school, he moved to Colorado where he met and married, his wife of 62 years, Ethel Yazzi (Nez) Hurd. In 1970, they moved to Westhampton MA, where they breathed new life into an old homestead where they would raise four children of their own. In his free time, Gary would enjoy a long life of farming and gardening. On the neighboring property and his own, he worked with horses and oxen, and raised everything from goats and cows to ducks and chickens. After 44 years of working as a polisher at Smith & Wesson, Gary retired in 2008 and spent most of his time in the garden, tending to his animals or other various projects, and with his grandchildren. The community came to know him as someone who always had time to talk to anyone who stopped by and was always willing to share as much knowledge as he could. As he got older, he stuck mostly to smaller animals like goats and chickens while letting other farmers in the area keep their cows on his property. He was known for always being generous with what he grew, giving away any extra fruits and vegetables to family, friends, and neighbors. He was deeply appreciated by the Northern Hilltown Food Pantry, where he made weekly trips to donate all the extra dozens of eggs he got from his chickens. He is survived by his wife Ethel, his two brothers Joel and Timothy, his two sisters Diane and Donna, his daughter Ardena, two sons Nathan and Ebin, and his three grandsons Matthew, Trevor, and Zachary. He is predeceased by his sister Christine, and son Arron. Services will be held at Mitchell’s Funeral Home on January 18th. Calling hours will be 9:00 am to 10:00 am with a service to follow. In Lieu of flowers, the family requests you make a donation to Northern Hilltown Food Pantry at 40 Main St, Goshen, MA.

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