Thomas Jeremiah Beam Hurst

Thomas Jeremiah Beam Hurst (Tom), 61, passed away peacefully on June 26th 2025, following a brief illness due to pancreatic cancer. He faced his diagnosis with the same quiet strength and grace that defined his life.
Born on July 6, 1963 in Louisville, Kentucky, Tom was a man of intelligence and integrity who also approached life with curiosity and thoughtfulness. A graduate of St Xavier High School, he attended Vanderbilt University where he earned a BA in economics. He then went on to earn an MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and then a JD from the University of Louisville's Brandeis School of Law.
A respected attorney in Louisville for over 32 years, he started his career with Tilford, Dobbins, Alexander, Buckaway and Black, moving on to Weber and Rose before starting his own firm, Lobb and Hurst. Tom's career came full circle 2024 when Lobb and Hurst merged with Tilford, Dobbins, and Schmidt.
Beyond his profession, he was deeply committed to family. As he established his legal career in Louisville, he met his lifelong love and partner, Joanne Sweeney Hurst. Together they raised their two daughters, Jennifer and Anna, while enjoying their many mutual interests in horses, dogs, travel, music, friends and fine dining.
Tom cared for his parents in their final years, tending to their needs with love, patience, and quiet devotion. In ways big and small, he held the extended family together-hosting gatherings with his wife, especially Thanksgiving, and making sure no one ever felt alone.
A lifelong reader and lover of ideas, Tom could always be found with a book in hand or learning about something new. In the past decade, he discovered a new passion for cycling, embracing the rhythm and solitude-or camaraderie-of long rides with the same quiet enthusiasm he brought to everything he did. Tom was also a member of the Louisville Boat Club and St. Aloysius Catholic Church for many years.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Bernard and Jane Ellen Hurst and his brother, Michael Caldwell Hurst. Tom is survived by his wife Joanne Hurst, daughters Anna Emrin Hurst and Jennifer James Reading (Brian), and granddaughter Landen Reading; a sister, Lucy Beam Hurst (Tom Ehrbar), and brother, Charles William Kavanaugh Hurst, Sister-in-Law Joan Hurst of Sewanee, Tennessee and many nieces and nephews. He will be remembered not only for what he accomplished, but for the example he set for the entire family of steadiness, responsibility, fun, and humility.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on at 10:00am Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at St Aloysius Catholic Church in Pewee Valley. 212 Mt Mercy Drive. Visitation on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 from 4:00pm – 7:00pm at Ratterman Brothers East Louisville Funeral Home. 12900 Shelbyville Rd. Louisville, Ky.
Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to St. Aloysius Church, Pewee Valley or to your charity of choice.