Born in Newport, Rhode Island on June 3, 1952. On May 27, 2020, James went to meet the Admiral in the sky.
As the child of a Navy dad, James lived in homes that spanned the USA, from Rhode Island to Alaska, Guam, and California. The Hurd fami...
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Born in Newport, Rhode Island on June 3, 1952. On May 27, 2020, James went to meet the Admiral in the sky.
As the child of a Navy dad, James lived in homes that spanned the USA, from Rhode Island to Alaska, Guam, and California. The Hurd family was living in Hawaii when it became a state in 1959.
James joined the Navy in August 1970. He served in Vietnam on the USS Gray in 1972-1973 and on the USS Wisconsin in the Persian Gulf War in 1990-1991. He also served on the USS New Jersey when it was recommissioned in 1982 by President Reagan. He was a Fire Controlman and achieved the rank of Master Chief.
He married Janis Kolb in 1974 while stationed in Hawaii. In 1976 they moved to San Diego where both of their sons, William James Hurd and Michael John Hurd were born. After serving in Long Beach and Port Hueneme, they moved to Virginia Beach where James served in both land and sea duty stations, including two deployments. He retired in December 1994. The technology skills he learned while in the Navy enabled him to become him a valued employee of both Verizon Communications and Cox Cable. He retired in 2014 and continued using those skills as a volunteer at Community United Methodist Church, of which he was a long-time member. He also enjoyed woodworking and made some beautiful Christmas decorations, both life sized and miniature.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Janis, their two sons, William (Christi) and Mike (Seneca), seven grandsons, William Jr., Cameron, Gavin, Mike Jr., Hayden, Ryan, and Zachary, and two brothers John (Karrin) and Roger (Cathy).
Fair winds and following seas, shipmate. We have the watch.
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