Ardith Hurst

Ardith C. Hurst, aged 72 years, of Leawood Kansas, passed away on August 6, 2021 at Kansas City Hospice House after a brief struggle with a rare cancer.

Born December 12, 1948 in Pittsburg, Kansas, Ardith was the only child of Lloyd & Ardith Hamilton. Soon after, her father moved his young family to Fairway, Kansas for a new job at the General Motors Plant. She was very close with her father but he died too young when she was only 13. She was very active in ballet well into her young adult years. She graduated Shawnee Mission East H.S. in 1966 and went on to get her degree from Kansas City Business College. While administering pension funds in the trust department at Commerce Bank, she met her future husband, Harold L. Hurst, Jr. They were married at Prairie Baptist Church on November 16, 1974 and moved to Leawood a few years later. Ardith worked in accounting related positions at United Telecom, Lee Jeans, Yellow Freight, and others.

Ardith enjoyed her own years of being a Girl Scout so much that she volunteered to be a troop leader throughout Elaina’s years of scouting and was a Cub Scout den mother and volunteered with Boy Scouts for Lee. Teaching Vacation Bible school was always a highlight of the summer. Ardith has always been very active in many groups through American Baptist Women and led the Rosebuds, a group for young girls as part of ABW Guild. For the past decade, she’s been teaching adult Sunday school and so enjoyed the fellowship with her friends.

Ardith loved music, and passed her love of music onto her kids through her record collection from classical music to 60’s rock and a car radio always set to the oldies station. Her love of music made her an active supporter of both her kids’ musical pursuits and she unwisely committed to chaperone out-of-state competition trips.

Many of Ardith’s friends and family will remember her beautiful and thoughtful needlework gifts that she made. Cross-stitch was likely her favorite craft, but she enjoyed many others. Bird watching was another hobby for Ardith and she loved calling her friends and children to tell them about the new and sometimes rare birds she had tempted to her birdfeeders. She was constantly locked in a battle of wills with the squirrels. Travel was a passion she shared with her mother, and her own family later on. She especially enjoyed trips to Hawaii and Mexico as a young woman, camping trips with Girl Scouts, and the pandemonium of family vacations. She was excited when Elaina moved to Norway which gave her and Harold an excuse to visit Europe several times to see many European countries. More recently, her most treasured trips were to spend time with her grandchildren.

Ardith was preceded in death by her father, Lloyd Hamilton, and her mother, Ardith Hamilton. She is survived by her husband, Harold Hurst, her daughter, Elaina Hurst (Craig Morrison), and her son, H. Lee Hurst III (Christine Murray), as well as two grandchildren, Ian G. Hurst and Samantha M. Hurst. She also has relatives in California, Texas, and central Missouri.

Visitation service will be held at Prairie Baptist Church (7416 Roe Ave, Prairie Village, KS) on Thursday, August 12th, at 10:00 am; with funeral service at 11:00 am, officiated by Rev. Dr. Kathy Pickett. The burial will be held at Johnson County Memorial Gardens (11200 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS) at 1:00 pm. In consideration for our loved ones, masks are required for the indoor service. Memorial donations can be made to Girl Scouts of NE Kansas and NW Missouri of which Ardith was a Lifetime Member.

Ardith will be terribly missed but lives on in our memories as a loving wife, mother and grandmother, a dedicated friend, and faithful Christian.