When 39-year-old Rob Hurst unexpectedly died of an enlarged heart on June 29, he left a wife and three children without insurance or even enough money to pay for a funeral.
He also left a daughter who was not afraid to ask for help.
Danielle Hurst, 14, channeled grief into contact with dozens of residents of her Oswego-area neighborhood. She knocked on doors and described the family’s plight while encouraging attendance at a benefit. Family and friends helped organize the six-hour event, to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Aurora Turners Club, 1335 Mitchell Rd.
“I wanted to get a big turnout,” said the Oswego High School freshman, who with a friend visited about 50 homes. “So I decided to go out and see if some people would like to purchase tickets and join us.”
She was equally active in helping her mother and other family members solicit donations from local merchants for raffle prizes.
“I didn’t ask her to do this,” said her mother, Donna Hurst. “She said `Mom, can I go door-to-door?’ It was her idea, and she’s done an excellent job.”
Rob Hurst had just returned to work as a carpenter after a yearlong layoff with a hand injury and hadn’t yet qualified for union-sponsored life insurance. The enlarged heart went undetected until he died in his sleep.
The family also includes Carly, 7, and Nicholas, 2. Rob Hurst also had a son, Cory, 15, from a previous marriage.
The family lives on Social Security survivors’ benefits and income from Donna Hurst’s full-time job. Donna Hurst said it hasn’t been easy working and raising three kids on limited resources.
Benefit proceeds would pay the remaining $5,000 of the funeral cost. The rest would help the family. Tickets for Sunday’s event are available at the door at $15 each, or $25 for couples.
