Kathleen Anne Hurst

Kathleen "Kathy" Anne Hurst, 58, of Chicago, Illinois, died on January 12, 2024, after living many years with cancer. With an unmatched zest for life, Kathy lived fully and heroically.

Kathy was born in Buffalo, NY, attended Pace University, where she received a BBA in accounting, and obtained a CPA from the State of Michigan.

Kathy had more than 33 years of accounting experience in real estate development and property management. She was the Chief Financial Officer of M&R Development, RMK Management, and Moran & Company, responsible for overseeing the Accounting and Finance, Information Technology, and Human Resource departments for the 3 firms. Prior to joining Moran & Company in 1996, Kathy held accounting positions at Baird and Warner and American Invesco.

Reflecting on Kathy's professional contributions, Thomas Moran, Chairman of Moran & Co, said "Kathy's life was like a great book, reflecting her love for family, friends, and her career, but the book was too short and ended too early. She was committed to her career and the dedicated team she built during her years at RMK. Her evolution to controller to help run RMK, Moran & Co, and M & R Development was phenomenal. As we grew to over 350 employees, Kathy grew, by looking outward and attending national conferences like the National Multifamily Housing Council to understand best practices from other regions of the county and apply them to our companies. It takes a special person to grow with the times, especially with multiple business lines and technology. Kathy was a perfectionist in supporting the dramatic growth of our companies and every day was a good day because she and her staff did the best they could do. Kathy loved her dedicated team, and her team and ownership loved her; she will be missed." Tony Rossi Sr, Chairman of the Board for RMK, said "Kathy was with us for 27 years and during that time our company changed and expanded substantially, and Kathy adapted exceptionally well to all of those circumstances. Kathy was not just an employee, she was a friend and one of the family."

Kathy was a dedicated fan and determined competitor and was passionate about tennis, skiing, and the Buffalo Bills. She embraced life with the same tenacity and joy that she brought to the tennis court and ski slopes. Kathy also enjoyed travel, shopping, celebrating Halloween with creative costumes, and music. Madonna's unapologetic lyrics and U2's stadium-filling choruses resonated with her rebellious spirit.

Kathy was committed and supportive friend and colleague, and her spirit, style and grace, and witty and occasionally irreverent sense of humor will be missed by all who knew her. Her dear friend Susan Tjarksen recalled "Kathy was an able and skilled competitor in everything she did-from work to the ski slopes to daily Wordle with friends. Her vibrant blue eyes and impish grin were telltale signs of embracing life to the fullest with her son Matthew often by her side."

Kathy was board member of the University Club of Chicago and enjoyed meeting her friends at the President's Bar to share stories and laughs. Fellow member and friend Andrea Clark has many fond memories at the club, including dinner out of the bucket and fine pours with Kathy, who was grateful for the bartending care of Becky Klein and Joaquin Sotelo.

Kathy is survived by her loving and devoted son, Matthew Kenneth Dean Hurst; her mother, Joanne Novelli; stepmother, Madeline Brown; nephew Nikolai Brown; cousins Christopher A. Pauley, Sr, and Christopher M. Pauley, Jr.; and her faithful dog Bella. She was preceded in death by her father, Melvin Brown; brother, Robert Brown; and stepfather, Jerry Novelli.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to Mayo Clinic's Department of Oncology in memory of Kathleen Hurst. Donations can be made via phone at 855-852-8129 or online at https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donateMC. If donating online, under the "Designate my gift to..." tab, please select "Other" and insert "Department of Oncology" and select the "Make this donation a tribute..." tab and insert "Kathleen Hurst" in the "In Memory of" field."