Duane Rulon Hurst September 30, 1950 - March 19, 2021

Duane Rulon Hurst
September 30, 1950-March 19, 2021

Duane Rulon Hurst, devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, son and friend, passed away Friday March 19, 2021, surrounded by his loving family.
He was born on September 30, 1950 to Rulon and Emma Elizabeth (Jolley) Hurst in Burley, Idaho. He was the fourth of 5 children and the first son. His parents were so happy to have a boy! Duane grew up living across the country, including in Idaho, Montana, and Louisiana. An extremely hard worker, Duane worked a wide variety of jobs growing up, including: farming; art department worker; manager trainee for Taco Time; fry cook at McDonald’s; cook at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii, home construction (laying flooring, hanging sheetrock, painting, roofing); landscaping in California and Hawaii; librarian; pipeline work for Conoco Oil in Montana; research case law (fellowship at University of Southern Mississippi); vacuum cleaner salesman; tour agency in San Diego; tourist guide and bus driver in Hawaii. He loved to learn new things and worked hard no matter the job!

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Duane served a full-time mission in Thailand from 1969-1971. There he gained a lifelong love and appreciation for the people, culture, language, and beauty of Thailand. Duane would continue his work helping new missionaries at Brigham Young University-Hawaii where he taught English from 1972-74. Duane loved to teach and continued his English lesson teachings both at the University of Southern Mississippi (1976-78) and as the English Lab Director at the United States International University in San Diego, CA (1978-80.)
An avid reader and writer, Duane earned his B.A. degree in English and History from Brigham Young University in 1975. He furthered his education earning a Masters in Political Science from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1981.
While at BYU-Hawaii he met his eternal companion, Pauline Ha in 1976. They were engaged 18 hours after meeting and married a year later, on May 24, 1977 in the Los Angeles Temple. Duane and Pauline are the parents of 2 children, and 8 grandchildren whom they love dearly and consider their greatest achievement.
Duane’s proficiency with languages and high intellect earned him a job with the U.S. Government in 1980, where he built a remarkable 30-year career. During his work with the government, Duane would return to Bangkok, Thailand where he worked for 4 years. He then was assigned to Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City, Mexico; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Anne Arundel, Maryland; Yakima, Washington; and returned for a final tour in Bangkok, Thailand after which he retired and made his home in Salem, Utah.
Duane loved to learn about history and culture and languages. He spoke several languages: English, Thai, Spanish, Mandarin, Shan, Lanna, Lao, German and was proficient in interpreting Egyptian Hieroglyphs. A world traveler, Duane has been to all 50 US States, Guam, and over 40 nations (primarily in Europe, Asia, and Central America.) No matter where Duane lived or travelled, he brought his love of teaching with him and shared his knowledge openly and generously. While living in Chiang Mai he would drive his family around north Thailand sharing the Gospel with all who desired to learn. He was much loved in Thailand and is remembered fondly as “Brother Duane.”
Duane was a generous and kind man who often helped those in need without them ever knowing. He once paid a woman’s dental bill who had no means to pay and was worried about the bill collector. Duane heard her struggle while she was in the dental office, and when she left, he went up to the receptionist, gave his credit card and told the dental office to charge it and just let the patient know her bill has been taken care of. The receptionist shed tears of joy at his kindness. Duane did random acts of kindness regularly throughout his life. He and Pauline also loved to help children in need and are regular donors to the Bountiful Children’s Foundation where they support undernourished children throughout the world.
Duane is survived by his beloved wife Pauline, his daughter Melanie, son Wesley, son-in-law Bryan, and daughter-in-law Kristie. He also leaves behind his 8 grandchildren (Scott, Mark, Travis, Brooklyn, Jacob, Mia, Caleb and Logan). He also leaves behind his father, Rulon S. Hurst, and his siblings: Connie Schreiner, Bonnie Stevens, Diane Tolbert and Mike Hurst. The family would like to extend a special thanks to the doctors, nurses, and staff at the ICU at Mountain View Hospital in Payson for their tireless efforts to extend Duane’s life, they are angels among us.
Friends and family may call at Duane’s service which will be held Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at Walker Funeral Home, 187 S Main Street, Spanish Fork. Interment will be in the Salem City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family would like donations sent to: https://bountifulchildren.org/