Edward M.D.

Edward John Hurley, M.D. died May 13, 2007. Ed was born April 23, 1931 in San Francisco, the only son of Dorothy Hurley and Edward C. Hurley. He is survived by his loving wife, Starr Walton, whom he married in 1973, wonderful son, Brandon, and his wife DeAnn. He attended St Ignatius High School, the University of San Francisco and obtained his Medical degree at Stanford School of Medicine in 1957. Following graduation he continued his training in surgery becoming certified in both General and Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in 1964-5. He was selected to become an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association and Post-doctoral Fellow of the National Institutes of Health. During his postgraduate training his selection to become Dr. Norman Shumways second trainee at the newly developed Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto led to his involvement in the early research into cardiac transplantation. After completion of his surgical training, he was appointed to the faculty at Stanford and held positions at both Stanford Hospital and the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, where he was vice-chairman of the department of surgery. In 1967 he joined the faculty of the newly developing University of California Davis School of Medicine as the eleventh faculty member. He founded the Section of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He published seventy-four articles and forty-one abstracts in scientific journals. In 1983, he was appointed as Associate Dean, School of Medicine. He founded the School of Medicine Alumni Association, established the Leadership Council, a Department of Marketing, and revamped the organization of the news and communication activities of both the school and medical center. He served on numerous community boards including the March of Dimes, Sacramento Public Library Foundation, Hospice Board, and Center for Contemporary Art, and Visual Arts Committee of the Sacramento Arts Commission and became an active member of the board of SACTO (Sacramento Area Trade and Commerce Organization) ascending to the presidency of the organization in 1996. As a member of the Matsuyama, Sacramento Sister City Board, he arranged for an exchange of faculty with Ehime University School of Medicine in Matsuyama, Japan. He received an Honorary Degree from Ehime University. He retired from the University in 1993 and returned as a consultant to the hospital director until 1996. Ed loved spending the summers with his family and friends at the Soda Springs Cabin an eighty year old summer retreat. An avid fly fisherman and fly tyer, he fished the western United States, Canada and Alaska. His favorite fishing location was New Zealand where he was accompanied by his equally accomplished fisherwoman, his wife, Starr. He also relished his weekly lunches with friends.

In 1997 he was appointed by the New Zealand Government as Honorary Consul for New Zealand in Northern California.

A gathering to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, June 2 from 2-5pm in his home.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances should be directed to the University of California, Davis School of Medicine Edward J. Hurley M.D. Scholarship Fund, 2315 Stockton Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95817.

To plant memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Edward M.D., please visit our flower store.

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Dear Starr: With deepest condolence on the passing of your husband and our friend, Ed. We wish you strength and your always positive attitude in preserving the memory of Dr. Hurley. We will surely miss him. Love, Ralph & Pearl

Ralph & Pearl Sugimoto Dec 31 2007 12:00 AM

Starr, I want to tell you how sorry I am to read Dr. Hurleys' obituary in the BEE today. I am off work right now with my third fusion. I looked forward to his kind words each month. I hope that he was as comfortable as he could have been in his last days and that you are doing as well as can be expected given all that you have been through. You have been an inspiration to me as to how I can support my husband in his elder years as he too is older than I. I hope that you have all of the comfort and support that you now need as it is now a time to reflect and also a time for you to be cared for. Let those around you who love you give you the support you also deserve so that you now may grieve, heal and rest. With love and prayers, Yvonne

Yvonne Smith, PA-C Dec 31 2007 12:00 AM

Starr:we were deeply sorry to hear of Eds death. He was a heroic figure and hard worker under the most difficult of times. We know it would have been evn more difficult for him to accomplish so much without your love and strong support. Bob and Phyl Bolt

Bob and Phyllis Bolt Dec 31 2007 12:00 AM

Dear Starr and Brandon, Susan and I wish to express our sadness with the news of Ed's passing. However, the memories he left me with are bright. I will always remember his quick wit, the twinkle in his eye and his concientious approach to teaching and patient care . In particular, he took time to go over questionable physical findings and was a very forgiving to those of us who were not perfect medical students. As Collin Dang wrote he taught us more than the mechanics. I know many of us and UC Davis will miss him.

dennis and susan devereux Dec 9 2007 12:00 AM

Dear Starr, Ed was a great guy.I loved his sense of humor and his devotion to you.I could always see it in his eyes as he looked at you.He was also fortunate to have you at his side. Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss. God Bless you and your family. Sincerely, Bernard Bowler

Bernard Bowler Aug 17 2007 12:00 AM

Dear Starr, Ed was a true diplomat. He was kind and generous and had a gift for working with people. My sincere sympathy, Kathy

Kathy Kelly Jun 12 2007 12:00 AM

Dear Starr and Brandon My mother, Eleanor Curtiss, spoke of Dr. Hurley with respect and felt fortunate to have you all as neighbors. I know you will miss him.

Martha Curtiss Bunce Jun 5 2007 12:00 AM

Starr, Our thoughts are with you at this time. Even though Ed had been ill for quite some time, it doesn't make it easier for the heart. May you find peace and comfort from your family and friends. Even though we hadn't met him, according to his obituary he sounds like he was a wonderful and very important man to so many. Our prayers are with you. The house in Soda Springs may give you time to reflect and heal. It's so "serene". Sincerely Bob and Cathie Bullis

Bob and Cathie Carson-Bullis Jun 4 2007 12:00 AM

I was Ed's cardiac surgery resident from 1974-1976. He had a picture behind his desk with the words "any ape can operate". The message was that there was much more to surgery than the operation. Actually it referred to learning about everything in life, from the classical music he played in the operating room to the talk about bicycles at the scrub sink when Brandon was old enough to have one. That's what he really taught us, and that's how he lived.

Collin and Mary Dang Jun 1 2007 12:00 AM

I will miss Ed greatly. He helped recruit me to UC Davis, organized the Surgery Department for me prior to my actual arrival at Davis, and has remained a good friend and colleague ever since.

FWilliam. Blaisdell. M.D. Jun 1 2007 12:00 AM

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