Gary Hurd Obituary

Name: Visitation for Gary Hurd
Start: 2025-01-18T09:00:00.000Z
End: 2025-01-18T10:00:00.000Z
Location: Mitchell (Easthampton)

Gary Hurd

Westhampton, MA - 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.

Mitchell Funeral Home www.mitchellcofuneralhome.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Daily Hampshire Gazette on Jan. 9, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
for Gary Hurd

7 Entries

Heidi Popham

July 19, 2025

I'm so saddened to find out that Gary has passed. I wrote a long condolence letter but it didn't send. Trying again.

Heidi Popham

July 19, 2025

I'm so saddened to just find out that Gary passed away this past December. I feel badly that I didn't know until today. My daughter and I live down the road. We stopped by many times in the summer to say hello & admire his gardens. My daughter had felt he may have passed away because we haven't seen him outside whenever we'd drive by. We stopped by today, but noticed things seemed different. I decided to check obituaries and was so sad to see that he had indeed passed. Gary was such a beautiful person. We would talk for hours in his yard about gardening & his animals. We had a common interest in gardening & a love for nature & plants. He loved sharing his knowledge on gardening. My daughter & I loved helping him in his garden, picking & even preparing veggies for him. Listening to his stories, recipes & growing methods were a joy. My daughter and I will really miss visiting him & his amazing gardens. He will be greatly missed. Gary your peach tree looks amazing this year! I know you haven't had a good yield for many years. I'd like to believe that you are the reason for that beautiful, healthy and fruitful peach tree this year.

Joel Hurd & Candy Ringler

Planted Trees

Marilyn R Witherell

January 17, 2025

My condolences to Gary´s family. He came from a family that was given to all. He will be dearly missed.

Diane Bryant

January 14, 2025

I was very proud of my big brother, Gary. He touched a lot of lives in ways he probably didn't even realize. I always enjoyed sitting on his porch visiting or strolling through the barn to see what new animals he had kept there. When I was there when my sister died, I so appreciated his visits to the house as I was there alone. He uplifted my day and always brought fresh eggs. I love you Gary and will miss you very much.

Dani Sue

January 13, 2025

Proverbs 12:10 "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast"...BIG Red, Big barn, Big yard, Big flock of chickens, Big garden, Big sweet potatoes, Big strawberry patch, Big kitchen, Big smile, Big heart...love you lots, Uncle Gary

Mary Powers

January 11, 2025

Gary and his family were my next door neighbors for 46 years. I watched his children grow and then grandchildren enter his life. Knowing he was there was a great comfort to me. He shared the fruits and vegetables of his garden and for many years made a garden for me on a small piece of his property. He taught me how to grow good vegetables.
Watching the goats, cows and chickens in the pasture looking out my kitchen window was like living on my own farm. We were always willing to help each other if needed. He would plow the heavy snow at the end of the driveway after he plowed his own because he knew the snowblower would have a tough time.
I was blessed to have such a wonderful neighbor and have his children and grand children in my life.
I will miss him very much. The fields are empty looking out the window now , but beautiful memories of a great neighbor will remain!
My sincere condolences to Gary´s family.
Many blessings to his family for comfort in a time of their loss. We will miss him.

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