Kenneth Henry Hurrelbrink

On Wednesday, March 2, 2022, Ken Hurrelbrink, loving husband and father of two daughters and grandfather of five grandchildren, passed away in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the age of 78.

Ken suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on February 24, 2022 while driving with his beloved wife, Irene, near Willow Run, Michigan. Despite being incapacitated almost instantly, Ken used his last seconds of consciousness to stop the car, saving Irene from certain injury or death. Despite the best efforts of emergency medical technicians and the St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital cardiac intensive care team, Ken never regained consciousness. He passed away peacefully on the morning of March 2, 2022.

Ken was born in Michigan on May 14, 1943. He attended the University of Michigan on a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship, the first in his family to attend college. He graduated in May 1965 with a degree in Actuarial Science and was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy. Ken attended Navy pilot training at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. After earning the "wings of gold" of a Naval Aviator, he was assigned to fly the S-2 Viking and then the P-3 Orion.

In 1970, Ken left active duty for the Navy Reserve, and began his civilian aviation career with North Central Airlines. Ken enjoyed a successful thirty-eight-year aviation career with over 25,000 flight hours, including 32 years with North Central, Republic, and Northwest Airlines. Ken held type ratings in LR-Jet, DC-9, L-188, B-727, A-320, DC-10 and B-747-400. He retired from the Navy in 1986 as a Lieutenant Commander (O-5) after successful 21-year career.

In addition to his lifelong aviation career, Ken earned a Master's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan, and had thirty-one years of experience developing software on multiple platforms and in multiple programming languages. He worked as an iPhone Developer and was a charter member of the Houston iPhone Developers Group.

Ken was an avid tennis player and was always up for a game at any of the tennis clubs around Ann Arbor. Tennis was not just exercise to Ken; tennis was life. He played in and help organize many Ann Arbor City Tournaments and always enjoyed the competition. A skilled player and strategist, Ken was a master at getting into his opponent's head, allowing him to beat players with greater skill and talent. Whenever he beat a player far above his level, Ken made sure to never play him again - a strategy that he said gave him several indirect wins over some of the top players at Wimbledon.

Ken was the consummate storyteller; he had a story or joke for every occasion. At almost any gathering, it was not uncommon to find a large group gathered around Ken as he regaled them with his stories. It did not matter if the group was comprised of old friends, new acquaintances, or complete strangers. Ken also reveled in telling jokes that went up to, and sometimes crossed, the lines of decorum and propriety - but he usually got away with it. To illustrate: once, as the captain of a Northwest Airlines flight that had been delayed, he announced to the passengers "Ladies and gentlemen, we're sorry for this delay. The machine that rips the handles off of your bags is broken, so they are having to do it by hand." He got a big laugh. His copilot tried the same line on a different flight, and got written up by management for poor judgment.

Ken's favorite Navy story was about the time he and his P-3 Orion crew detected and photographed a new class of Soviet submarine that had never been seen in the West before. He and his crew were flying back to Maine after two days in Iceland. As Ken told it, "We were all hungover after a long night at the officer's club, and just wanted to get home." The P-3's sensors detected a large metallic object in the water. Ken circled the P-3 around the target and the crew dropped sonobuoys to identify the object. The captain of the Soviet sub, in attempting to evade the sonobuoys, made an error and instead of diving deeper, suddenly surfaced. Ken's crew made several passes over the Russian sub, taking several high-resolution photographs from every angle. Ken said the photographs were so good you could see the Russian captain giving him the finger.

Ken could fix almost anything. This included the things he had broken himself because he refused to read manufacturer's directions, which was a point of personal pride for Ken. If you gave Ken duct tape, zip ties, caulk, and a butter knife, he would find a way to make it work. One example was how he managed to wire a portable generator directly into his house's main fuse box during a long power outage. It worked, but it was terrifying to look at.

For all of Ken's accomplishments and success, he excelled above all at being a grandfather. "Papa" was a constant figure in all of the lives of his five grandchildren. He was a trusted and constant tutor in every school subject to each of them through high school and even beyond. He attended school events, parent-teacher conferences, helped plan and complete boy scout service projects, and was constantly involved in their education. He took his first three grandchildren on several trips to Europe, instilling a love for travel and experiencing other cultures at a young age. Papa's love of flying and the Navy inspired his first grandson to become a U.S. Air Force officer and C-17 pilot. He taught his first granddaughter to fly, launching her civilian aviation career. He passed on to his second grandson all of his do-it-yourself repair skills and secrets through many summers spent as Papa's apprentice at his house. He was a constant presence in all of his grandchildren's lives and they will all forever carry Papa in their hearts.

Ken is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Irene Agnes Hurrelbrink; his daughter, Christine Ryan, and son-in-law Stephen Ryan of Houston, Texas; his daughter, Michele Bailey, and son-in-law, Thomas Bailey; and his grandchildren, Travis Ryan, Caroline Ryan, Taylor Ryan, Paris Bailey, and Cole Bailey.

Those who touch our lives will stay in our hearts forever. Papa, your life was a blessing, and your memory a treasure.