Steven R Hurst

Birth date: Mar 13, 1947 Death date: Oct 3, 2024

DECATUR - Steven R. Hurst, 77, died at his home on Thursday, October 3, in Decatur. The family will be hosting an informal memorial at Rock Springs Conservation Area at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 13. In lieu of flowers, the fam Read Obituary

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Graceland Fairlawn Funeral Home

2091 N. Oakland Avenue, Decatur, IL 62526

(217) 615-0724

Charles Shrader

61w ago

I met Steve and Kathy in Columbia MO in the fall of 1971. We sat next to each other in News 101. His first feature assignment was to interview women pumping their own gas in the early days of self service pumps. He wasn’t thrilled.
I spent many wonderful evenings with Steve and Kathy. We were all looking forward to getting back to Europe. They had spent their junior year in Vienna and I was in Aix-en-Provence. Kathy didn’t make it as Sally was on the way.
We last spoke when he was in Columbus and I was a Freshman medical student. Years later I looked up one morning and he was on CNN reporting on Cherenko’s death. Wow, was I impressed.
As every one knows he was a kind, engaged and fascinating friend. I feel so privileged to have known him. Rick Shrader

Bill Mattson

64w ago

Dear family and friends of Steve
I just learned of Steve passing; our prayers to y’all from Galveston Texas.🙏
Steve and I were paper boys in Decatur; he lived down the street from me. Steve had the morning paper and I had the afternoon; our routes mainly overlapping. So , we learned how to collaborate, not compete.😎

Later, as a Global businessman, I visited Moscow and we spent several evenings together when our day jobs were over; I believe Kathy and girls were on home leave. He showed me things about the Soviet Union, which visitors never saw or understood. I told him stories of my family’s escape from Iran.
Tall tales from lifelong friends. We solved most of the World problems then😇

God bless all yall and all you love🤠😍
Bill Mattson

Susan Parker

76w ago

John and I are sending our heartfelt thoughts to Sally, Anne, and Ellen. We shared momentous times with Steve and Kathy and will always treasure our memories of them.
Susan and John Parker

Stu Ellis

77w ago

Steve and I became close friends in 1973 when he was covering county government for the Herald & Review and I was running my morning news beat for WSOY radio. Even though we were supposed to be competitors, we conspire daily to ensure the other had any big news that we had uncovered. That teamwork lasted until Steve went off to learn how to speak Russian. When I had an opportunity to go to Russia in 1986 to cover agriculture for the WSOY farm audience. One of my first moves was to contact Steve and tell him I was headed his way. I let him know that I had made an effort to request an interview with Mikhail Gorbachev but Steve said he was probably quite busy dealing with the nuclear catastrophe at Chernobyl. Nevertheless, Steve was quite helpful while I was in Russia, and will always be indebted to his friendship. I was totally unaware that he was living in Decatur and full of sorrow that I did not get to share memories of our days past before his passing.

Nicholas Wadhams

77w ago

Steve was a great friend and mentor to me when we both worked on AP's weekend international desk in New York in 2002-2004. He was a veteran who knew precisely what to do, I was a young and inexperienced editor looking to make my mark.

We shared so many laughs and I always looked forward to serving as Steve's deputy on those weekend days when the world was often breaking around us.

My most ridiculous memory of that time occurred when I decided one day to buy a pack of pork rinds from a convenience store nearby. I shared my bounty with Steve. He promptly cracked a tooth and had to go in a few days later to get a new crown. I've often thought over the years how grateful I was that Steve laughed it all off -- or at least made me think it was no big deal. I'm sure the dental bills were sky-high but he never held it against me.

CARED FOR BY

Graceland Fairlawn Funeral Home

2091 N. Oakland Avenue, Decatur, IL 62526

(217) 615-0724

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