James Darrell Hirst was born on October 9, 1931, one of four boys born to Bert Harvey Hirst and Nita Buckannan Hirst at Hutchinson, Kansas. Jim, 82, passed away at the family home in north Hutchinson on Monday, September 29th.
In high school Jim worked for a local farmer in Partridge, Kansas and was janitor for the Partridge Congregational Church. Following graduation from high school in Partridge in 1950, Jim attended business school in Hutchinson where he met the love of his life, Phyllis Ahrens. The couple was married on June 6, 1954, and made their home in Hutchinson. Jim worked for the Hutchinson News Herald as a salesman in the ad department and was later employed for 20 years by the Dillon’s Stores Company in the advertising and printing department as a silk screen operator.
Jim and Phyllis belonged to the Nickerson Boat Club and also enjoyed camping, traveling, gardening and family reunions. Jim’s hobbies included taking still and motion pictures, water skiing, fishing and hunting.
Having an inquisitive mind, Jim liked to hear about people in other parts of the world and what they did. As a caring and compassionate man, he was known for his great gift of hospitality and the concern he had that everyone who visited had whatever they needed.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Bert and Nita Hirst; his brother, Bill Hirst; and a nephew, David Hirst. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Hirst, of the home; two brothers, Gene Hirst of Shell Knob Missouri; Tom Hirst and his wife, Joan, of Russell, Kansas; 19 nephews and nieces; and numerous great nephews, great nieces and cousins.
Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM Wednesday, October 8, 2014, at the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center with Reverend Matt Stafford officiating. Interment will follow at Penwell-Gabel Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hutchinson. Visitation will be held from 1-9PM Tuesday at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home and Crematory, Hutchinson. The family requests that any memorials may be made to the Kansas School for the Deaf in Olathe, Kansas.