Victor W. Hurst IV of Houston, Texas passed away suddenly on October 27th, 2015 at the age of 48. A shining star to all who knew him, he was the epitome of joy, generosity and kindness in this life. Victor’s amazing ability to find humor in almost any situation was his most precious gift to all of us. He will be sorely missed by his loving family and friends and is survived by his parents Marilyn C. Hurst of Longmeadow, Massachusetts; Victor W. Hurst III and Jean Hurst of St. Petersburg, Florida; his sister Kathryn Hayden of Coventry, Connecticut; sister Deborah Rising and her husband Ben Rising of Woodbury, Connecticut and sister Amie Adams and husband Greg Adams of Springfield, Virginia. He is preceded in death by his sister Sara Hurst. Victor was also the profoundly proud uncle of niece Laura Hayden and nephews Wesley and Charles Rising, Allen Manning and Jackson and Parker Adams.
Victor was born in Dayton, Ohio on May 23, 1967. His interest in the study of space, and desire to travel there, developed at a very young age and guided much of his life. He started a space club at Amity High School in Woodbridge, Connecticut where he graduated in 1985. He went on to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York where he received his BS in physics in 1989 and received his PhD in Physiology from Albany Medical College in 1999.
That same year he moved to Houston, Texas where he devoted himself to his career as a research scientist at Wyle Labs, a division of NASA. There he worked to advance space-relevant medical procedures and equipment—authoring/co-authoring more than 50 scientific journal articles and published abstracts and training 67 ISS astronauts and cosmonauts from 8 different countries. In 2007, he participated in the Science Channel documentary Mars Rising and had many adventures on the zero gravity aircraft (known affectionately as the ‘vomit comet’). He was chosen as one of four participants in HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) in 2014--a project to simulate the flight operations and isolation associated with a space mission to a very far-away asteroid.
Victor was a certified sky diver and avid runner who ran both half and full marathons, and was due to complete the Bridge Series benefiting the prevention of domestic violence against women on November 15th. A campaign called “Finish it for Victor” will ensure the completion of it in his honor by his friends and family. Always a willing to lend a helping hand when needed, he was active in countless community and charity projects, most particularly the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY).
A passionate fan of music and concert-going, Victor never missed an opportunity to catch Metallica, Kiss or any tour of the 1980’s “hair” bands. Victor was an avid fan of UConn Husky Sports and the Hartford Whalers.
While we are all so grateful for the 48 years we were blessed to share with Victor, it was not nearly enough for a man who epitomized love, joy, compassion and so much humor. To quote one of the many wonderful Facebook posts: "Victor was the type of person that could single handedly restore people's faith in humanity should it be needed. What an overwhelming loss for us and gain for the heavens.”
A memorial service was held Thursday, November 05, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. in the Chapel of Forest Park East Cemetery, Houston, TX.
A second memorial service is planned for Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at the Heritage Hotel, Southbury, CT.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY); http://www.hoby.org/ or The National Multiple Sclerosis Society; Home.
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