Obituary of Mary Lucile O'Brien Hurley
We lost our loving angel May 25th, 2022; 2 days after her 97th birthday.
“I am the 7th daughter, 10th child of thirteen children born to Mr. & Mrs. James O’Brien of the St Xavier, Montana area on May 23rd, 1925. Our nearest friends & neighbors included both white & Indian people. In school we were all just students & classmates & not white or brown. My parents farmed until 1944-we grew up riding horseback.” -MLH
Mary grew up in a 2-story farmhouse, some of her most cherished memories were of dances in their big red barn with friends & family.
In 1944, Mary graduated high school from Hardin, Montana. In 1948, while working at Campbell Farming Corp, her boss asked her to learn to drive & was introduced to her instructor Timothy Francis Hurley. A romance began & turned into a marriage a few months later, on November 22nd, 1948. Mary learned to drive later in life after raising their children.
In 1949, Mary and Tim were blessed with their 1st son Thomas P. Hurley followed by Timothy F. Hurley (1950), James J. Hurley(1952), Patrick J. Hurley(1955) and finally a girl Shirley Hurley(1956).
Tim’s work for MK Corp. took them to many places in the United Stated & all over the world including South America, Papua New Guinea and Grenada. Her love of travel began, & she kept a diary of her travels; one of her favorites including Vatican City.
After retirement in 1985, they settled to Mountain Home, Idaho where they enjoyed many trips to Jackpot with family & friends with Luck of the Irish winnings. Mary was a devoted Catholic, had a love of writing poems & was one of the best bakers around.
She was proceeded in death by her 12 siblings, husband Tim & eldest son Thomas.
She is survived by her children; Timothy (Dana), James(Lorrie), Patrick(Ann), Shirley(George Poindexter), 7 grandchildren & 9 great grandchildren.
Mary had a very witty personality & always knew how to put a smile on your face. She was full of love and gave the best hugs.
We want to give a big thank you to all the staff at The Friendship House at Shaw Mountain for all the love and care provided.
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