David Starrett Hurtt, long time resident of Florence, Montana, passed away on August 18, 2026, at the Village Health and Rehabilitation facility in Missoula. He was 94 years of age.
David was born to Leon and Esther Hurtt on October 23, 1931 in Missoula,
Montana. He attended Paxon Elementary School where he first met Judith
Larkin. He attended Missoula County High School, graduating in 1949. He then attended Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. He was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity and the ROTC program. He and his childhood sweetheart Judy Larkin were married in 1952 while both were still students. He graduated as a second Lieutenant with a degree in Animal Husbandry in 1953.
David completed basic training for the army at Fort Benning, Georgia. He and Judy were then deployed to Mainz, Germany where they were stationed from 1954 to 1957. In addition to a little cocker spaniel named Buffy they welcomed a daughter Noreen (Reni) in 1955 and son Dave Jr. (Little Dave) in 1957.
David was honorably discharged from service in 1957 and he and his family returned to the Bitterroot Valley where they settled on the Martin Hereford Ranch in Florence. There he was the ranch foreman for Curtis Martin, raising registered Hereford breeding cattle. A second daughter, Leslie, was born in 1963.
David had always dreamed of having a ranch of his own, and to that end he and his father Leon purchased the Hurtt Ranch from Robert Lemon in 1964. He raised registered Hereford breeding cattle there for many years before deciding to switch to polled Herefords. Still later he switched to Simmental cattle and the first registered Simmental calf in the Bitterroot was born on the ranch. David was very active in the Montana Simmental Association, participating in annual ranch tours and serving as editor of the monthly Simmental newsletter.
In the fall of 1974 Judy Hurtt passed away unexpectedly. Some time later Dave married Patricia Piccinini of Florence. They divorced after 8 years of marriage and he later met Dolores Neaves Bourne. They were married in 1983 and spent many happy years together. Dolores passed away after battling several health conditions.
Dave was very active in the Florence community for many years. He served on the Florence-Carlton School board and was a substitute mail carrier. He and his family were members of the old Florence Church congregation and at one point he climbed up to the steeple and installed a white cross made of irrigation pipe. He was a registered Republican, never shy about expressing his opinion on political issues, and was a member of the North Valley Pachaderm club. One of his favorite activities was serving as a leader of the Lucky Leapers 4-H club where he mentored young people on raising livestock and preparing them for the county fair.
Dave is survived by daughters Reni and Leslie, stepchildren Rita Jones, David Bourne and Rob Bourne and a large extended family. He will be remembered for many things….he was famous for his sense of humor, sarcasm and love of a good practical joke. Two of his pet peeves were a gate left open and he would scold the offender with “Close the damned gate!” Leaving the door open was met with equal scorn and he would say, “Shut the door, you’re letting the flies in.” His sweet tooth was legendary and he was known for eating half a lemon meringue pie washed down with chocolate milk, all in one sitting. Fudge and homemade cookies were also favorites and neighbors would often bring a plate in thanks for him plowing snow out of their driveways. He loved hosting 4th of July barn dances in the hay loft, complete with country music, square dancing, peanuts and a keg of beer. The dances brought family members and friends together for laughter and many wonderful memories.
Dave was stern, kind, loving, crabby, and funny. He was an avid reader and
collected many biographies of people he admired. He took great pride in the ranch and his children. He was one in a million and will be greatly missed.
“Your labor is done, your home now is Heaven; no more must you wait. Your legacy lives on, your love of the land, and we will close the gate.”
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