Scott Hurlbert

Scott T. Hurlbert was a robust man with a big heart. Whether in his professional or personal life, he showed openness and understanding. He cared for friends and strangers alike, trying to make life better by his words and actions. His family meant the world to him, and he loved them dearly.

Scott was born to Scott D. and Eugenia (Wilt) Hurlbert in Kalamazoo, Michigan on December 11, 1951. It was a time of peace and prosperity in America. Growth in industry and the job market gave workers an opportunity to build homes and start families that launched the baby boom era. Scott was the fourth of five children, loved and supported by his mother, who was a nurse, and father who was an office manager at a print shop. Early in life, he learned to value hard work and family, traits that stayed with him throughout his life.

Scott attended St. Mary’s Elementary School, where later, as a high school student he had the enormous task of shoveling a half ton of coal in the morning and half after school to keep the building heated. In winter, he also shoveled the church steps each morning for early mass, which his mother attended daily. Such discipline served him well for what lay ahead.

Scott played football for Hackett High School and, after graduating in 1970, he enrolled in the criminal justice program at Nazareth College in Kalamazoo. Receiving his degree in 1974, Scott went to work for the City of Portage as a police officer. It was a position that benefited from his training and passion for the next 34 years.

Eager to enhance his skills, Scott became a hostage negotiator, volunteering in New York City for a week in peer assistance helping police and fire fighters following 9/11. On the force, he was a long term union president, putting his energy into ever-improving operations of the police department.

Over the years, Scott married several times, but his most enduring relationship was with his beloved daughter Jessica, born in 1979. They had a special bond—she was his “kid-o” and he was her “daddy-o.”

Characteristic of his stressful line of work, Scott smoked up to four packs of cigarettes a day, until he became ill. At times, he would have a smoke with the guys in jail, but only the cheapest brand. He liked his whiskey, too, but as of October 2009, he would have been dry for 20 years. Instead, he downed three or four 2-liter bottles of Pepsi each day. For all the habits he kicked, Scott couldn’t quite give up his salt, and he carried it with him at all times. He was, after all, a meat and potatoes kind of guy.

Scott was also an avid Notre Dame fan and he was loyal to the Detroit Tigers. He stayed up on the news, watching informative shows on TV. Though he didn’t do a lot of traveling, he went on a great adventure to Alaska with his brothers. No matter where he was or whom he was with, Scott made life fun with his wonderful sense of humor.

Despite his “tough cop” image, Scott was a “big old softy.” Especially when it came to animals, he was fond of pets and had cats most of his life. He also liked to listen to the Oldies and even some classical music. Above all, Scott was a tender-heart when it came to his grandkids. His face lit up when he got to spend time with his 9 and 5 year-old grandsons. Together, they went to junk yards and smashed cars or followed the big trucks. Until he became sick, Scott was up for anything and everything they wanted to do.

Another joy came into Scott’s life when he met a co-worker of the City of Portage. Kate had worked as a dispatcher for 25 years, and the two fell in love. They were married on October 8, 2004 in a little chapel in Trenton, Michigan and they honeymooned in Niagara Falls. Their vow of commitment to one another “in sickness and in health” was put to the test just five years later.

Scott became ill during the fall of 2008 and, in January of 2009, was diagnosed with lymphoma with paraneoplastic syndrome, a neurological disorder. In July, he went to the peaceful setting of Kairo’s Dwelling and died August 4, 2009, after two weeks of receiving the loving care of their expert staff.

Scott’s family and friends will miss their funny, loving, caring husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, colleague and all-around great guy.

Scott T. Hurlbert, age 57 of Kalamazoo, was preceded in death by his parents; 2 siblings: Eugene Hurlbert and Karen Keller; and by his former wife, Debra Hurlbert. Members of his family include his wife of 5 years, Kate Hurlbert; daughter, Jessica Hurlbert; 2 grandsons: Tyce Thomas-Wayne and Tauran Scott Hawkins; 2 brothers: Clark (Judy) Hurlbert and Joe Hurlbert (Marcella Wilson); 3 step-children: Alex, Amanda and Jerome and many nieces and nephews. Learn more about Scott, view his Life Story film, and share in some refreshments with his family and friends on Monday from 4:00 – 8:00 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler – Kalamazoo, 269-375-2900. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday 10:30 AM at St. Mary Church. Burial at Mt. Olivet Cemetery followed by a luncheon in the church hall. Please visit Scott’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may archive a memory or photo, or sign his memory book before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Kairo’s Dwelling or for his grandsons’ education fund c/o Citizen Credit Union.