JOHN HUNTER HURST

MACON- John Hunter Hurst, a resident of Carlyle Place, Macon, GA, died on May 2, 2024, at age 101. A Funeral Service will be held on Monday, May 6, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel of Watson-Hunt Funeral Home, 1208 Main Street, in Perry, GA, with the Rev. Dr. Stephen Williams of First Presbyterian Church of Savannah, officiating. The family will visit with friends from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., the hour prior to the service, at Watson-Hunt Funeral Home. Interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Perry immediately following the service. Donations in memory of John may be made to The Carlyle Place Employees Fund, 5300 Zebulon Road, Macon, GA 31210, or to the charity of your choice. John Hurst was born on April 11, 1923, in Fort Valley, Georgia, and grew up in Peach County and Houston County, Georgia. He was a 1940 graduate of Perry High School who went to college at age 17. While a sophomore at Georgia Tech in 1941, shortly after the United States entered World War II, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. After flight training, he flew the Corsair F4U-4 in fifty-seven combat missions, serving in the Philippines, in Okinawa, and on occupational duty in Japan. When the Korean War began, John was recalled to active duty. He was trained to pilot Sikorsky helicopters, and he was among the first to ever pilot a helicopter in combat. His service saved numerous lives as he evacuated wounded soldiers from the front lines to mobile hospitals, and he served the peace process as he transported the United Nations Peace Conference delegates to Panmunjom. For his military service, he earned theater ribbons for Pacific, China, Burma, India, and Korea, and he was awarded the Air Medal with four Gold Stars. When he returned to the United States after World War II, he enrolled again at Georgia Tech and completed his degree in 1948. That same year he met Margaret “Peggy” Guin of Greensboro, North Carolina. They quickly fell in love and married on September 25, 1948. John and Peggy had a joy-filled, loving relationship, and their commitment to each other and their devotion to family and friends inspired and enriched the lives of all who knew them. They were married for 69 years to the day, as his beloved Peggy passed away on their sixty-ninth wedding anniversary in 2017. John had a career as a claim agent with Southern Railway, from which he retired in 1983. John and Peggy lived and raised their three children in Atlanta; Nashville, GA; Macon; and Savannah. After living in Savannah for 40 years, John and Peggy moved back to Macon in 2006 to be near family. He and Peggy enjoyed traveling, especially visiting their grandchildren; they preferred driving to flying, even for thousands of miles. He never missed a Georgia Tech football game on TV, even though the play calling—and the results--would often disappoint him. John and Peggy were faithful and devoted members of their church. For many years they were pillars of First Presbyterian Church of Savannah. Among many other responsibilities, John was a member of the Session, served on the hospital visitation committee, and chaired the building committee. When they moved to Macon, they became members of Northminster Presbyterian Church. John’s devotion and service to others were remarkable, not just during his military service, but throughout his long life to the very end. He was a man of deep faith, embodying a generous spirit in all aspects of his life. Even casual acquaintances were struck by his kindness and graciousness. His vivid storytelling, deep faith, and loyalty to friends, family, and God will continue to be an inspiration to all who knew him. John was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Thomas Hurst, Jr., and Jule Hunter Hurst, and his brothers, Edward Hunter Hurst, Samuel Thomas Hurst IV, and his twin sister Jule Hurst McLauchlin. Left to cherish the memories they made with John are his three children, J. Hunter Hurst, Jr. and his wife, Barbara, of Shellman Bluff, GA, Clifford G. Hurst and his wife, Dayna, of Delaware, Ohio, and Daisy Hurst Floyd and her husband, Tim, of Macon; seven grandchildren; fourteen great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. Condolences for the family may be left in the online guestbook at www.watsonhunt.com. Watson-Hunt Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.

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JOHN HUNTER HURST

April 11, 1923 - May 2, 2024