James "Pat" Paterson Hurlburt

Missing him lovingly are his wife, Anne; son, Andrew (Sara); his favourite trail companion, Pepper; as well as his siblings John (Linda), Alan (Agnes), Mary (Norm), and Jane (Mike). Pat is also remembered fondly by a large group of family and friends from across the world, many of whom live in Winnipeg, home of the Siemens clan.

Pat was born in Vancouver to F.W.B. “Bill” Hurlburt and Mary Aileen “Betty” Hurlburt (nee Halstead), where he grew up attending Shaughnessy Elementary and Prince of Wales High Schools. He then went on to complete a year of study at UBC before taking a more adventurous path to Flying School at Selkirk College, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1972. He was hired by Air Canada soon after, and spent 38 years as a commercial pilot, his true calling.

In 1980, Pat married his best friend, true soulmate, and favourite travelling companion, Anne. They would often say that being together made them the luckiest two people on the planet. Pat’s son and all-time favourite “buddy”, Andrew, was born in 1987. Over time, they went from being “hero and sidekick” to best friends and co-adventurers.

Pat had a quietly confident and intrepid spirit that took him on many great adventures, including sailing all of the major oceans, canoe trips in the Canadian wilderness, and hiking trips to far flung mountains and trails. Closer to home, he had many adventures sailing on his beloved “Allegro” with family and friends for many years.

Pat’s calm, positive demeanour always drew people to him, many of whom became lifelong friends. From travelling with childhood friends to long-distance European hikes with his walking group, Pat never had a shortage of companions keen to join him on his adventures. You could often find him walking great distances on nature trails in all weather conditions. He had the ability to view hardships as challenges and often sought opportunities that took him out of his comfort zone. Pat’s keen sense of exploration was embraced by Anne and Andrew, and they went on many of adventures together.

Two of his favourite places were Bowyer and Bowen Islands in Howe Sound, where he spent much of his life. They are the places where his soul felt most at home, and the sources of many lifelong memories and friendships.

Ever curious, Pat was able to accomplish whatever he set his mind to. From gathering information and forming routines to his famously methodical approach, Pat was able to reach his goals on his own terms by moving forward one step at a time and ensuring not to complicate the heck out of a simple operation. Pat had a memory like a steel trap and often quietly corrected friends and family on details long forgotten by most. He loved the game of bridge, played a mean game of cribbage, and enjoyed few things more than settling in on a lazy afternoon with a Saturday crossword and a 5-minute “power nap”.

When most people look up they glimpse the horizon, but Pat seemed to always see past it. He had the ability to see beyond what most people could view, both literally and figuratively. From this gift, he was able to set his compass and proceed steadily and confidently in whichever direction he chose, inspiring others to join him on the journey.

Pat has left a huge void in our lives. We have the memories of a life well lived by a very very special man with whom we had the incredible good fortune to share all too brief a time. Our greatest blessing has been to love and to be loved by him.

We would like to thank the amazing medical teams for all their compassionate care, as well as the love, kindness, generosity, and support from so many family and friends. We are eternally grateful.

In lieu of flowers, we would request that donations please be made using the links below:

St. Paul’s Foundation:

https://give.helpstpauls.com/page/PatHurlburt

B.C. Cancer Foundation:

http://donate.bccancerfoundation.com/goto/Pat_Hurlburt