Dr. R. Wayne, 68, and Mary Ann Hurt, 66, in the early hours of January 17, 2009, died tragically in a fire at their home on Locke Lane. Their marriage of 46 years was the source of great happiness to both. As husband and wife, they shared in common a selfless devotion to others and genuine glee in the experience of life.
Dr. Hurt, amateur magician and renowned neurosurgeon, was born in Van Horn, Texas. His grandmother and uncle Presley raised him. By their example, he learned the value of modesty and hard work. He graduated from Steven F. Austin High School in Austin, going on to earn a liberal arts degree at the University of Texas. Following an honors degree from Baylor University College of Medicine, he went on to intern at the University of Minnesota, with residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital under Dr. William Sweet. His further training and work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard in Cambridge, the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, and foreign experience in Stockholm, Glasgow and Moscow, under Professor Alexandr Romanovich Luria, provided Dr. Hurt with exceptional experience in his surgical art. His unique skill in the operating room was surpassed only by his love and devotion to his patients.
Dr. Hurt was a distinguished expert in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and cluster headache, who worked tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of the most painful conditions known to humankind. His professionalism at St. Joseph served as an example to all, as he was greatly admired by physicians and staff alike. He was a masterful practicioner of highly effective, yet little-known, neurosurgical techniques in the treatment of pain, and was committed to teaching other healthcare professionals and educating the public about effective pain treatment. As he said, "Modern neurosurgery is now in a superb position to harness innovation and translate it into real results for pain patients." A meticulous clinician with a perpetual smile, he shared his sense of humor with patients and colleagues daily. His jolly manner will be missed.
Mary Ann Hurt, first-grade schoolteacher and mother of three sons, always displayed an exuberent and irrepressable delight in the presence of children. Raised in Petronila, Texas, the loving daughter of Curtis and Lorena Albrecht, she obtained her relish of watching things grow on the cotton farm of her childhood. After graduation from Robstown High School, she met and fell in love with Wayne at the University of Texas in Austin. Whether in Texas, New England or Europe, her first love was always motherhood. Stemming from this passion was her devotion to music education. In this field, Mary Ann made a major contribution in bringing the Kodaly method from Boston, for the benefit of Texas schoolchildren. This method is now utilized in the Houston Independent School District system. Mary Ann possessed a rare and brilliant light within her, irreplaceable to those who had the pleasure of knowing her.
Dr. and Mrs. Hurt are survived by their sons Nathaniel, Silas and Andrew, parents Curtis and Lorena, sister Christine Smith, daughter-in-law Becky Hurt, and the two grandchildren they adored, Travis and Amanda. Memorial services will be held on Monday, January 26, 2009, 1:30 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church, 5300 Main Street, Houston, Texas. Please make a donation to the 100 Club , in honor of all those firefighters, policemen and medics who, at their own peril, worked valiantly to save our beloved.
Instead of flowers,
plant something,
water it & watch it grow.
My Dad would like candy,
but since he's not supposed to:
Do something sweet.
