Lost In the Line - One Year Later
Remembering Justin: Support for family remains strong
By CHRIS BARBEE cbarbee@leader-news.com
A year ago - March 17, 2007 - the telephone rang. "I heard a game warden was killed last night. Have you heard anything?"

JUSTIN HURST of El Campo was killed in the line of duty March 17, 2007 on his birthday leaving behind a wife and infant son.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department game warden was Justin Hurst of El Campo, a popular young man who first gained the respect of waterfowlers in the area as a hunting guide and a wildlife biologist at Peach Point WMA in Brazoria County, which has since been renamed in his honor.

He died on his 34th birthday. A man charged with his murder awaits trial.

His family will hold a memorial service Sunday at First United Methodist Church. Afterwards, with the assistance of fellow game wardens and a TP&WD boat, Hurst's widow, Amanda, will spread his ashes near Palacios in the bay system he so loved.

"That's where we liked to go. That's where we liked to fish ... and that's where he would want to be," she said for a March 21, 2007 article in the El Campo Leader-News.

L-N File Photo With Full Honors Amanda Hurst, center, holds her baby Kyle as she attends the funeral of her husband, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department game warden Justin Hurst. He was killed a year ago Monday during a shoot-out with a poaching suspect. Amanda Hurst said the loss of her husband has made her more compassionate. Kyle is now 16 months old.

"To have him out there every time we (she and Kyle, their now 16-month-old son) go out, to continue our heritage of fishing and doing all those wonderful things out there ... it will be comforting to know that he'll be with us," she said for that story.

Mrs. Hurst said Friday she currently has no special plans for Monday. But Sunday will be busy.

The anniversary will be observed this weekend with family and friends. Hurst's parents, Allen and Pat, moved to El Campo only a few weeks before their son was killed. And his brother Greg and his wife will be coming in from Colorado.

"And some of the wardens will be coming in on Sunday. We'll be doing a barbecue on Sunday evening," she said.

The past year has been difficult, but busy, Mrs. Hurst said.

"Crazy, lots of ups and downs," she said of the past year. "There have been lots of memorials and lots of awards. I remember at one point I was going anywhere from one to three functions a week," she said. "I've eaten a lot of barbecue!"

And people still stop by the house and phone her.

"Lots of the guys (wardens) are really good about keeping in touch with us; calling and checking in. We still have our same group that comes by once a week or every other week and helps out around the house," she said.

Mrs. Hurst said this week she would be happy to be interviewed about her husband, but not about the man who is charged with his murder, understandably asking that he not even be mentioned by name.

She said she deals with it by "not thinking about it."

"The only thing it does is weigh my calendar down, waiting for it to hurry and get here and hurry to get over with. But I don't think about it," she said.

"I just do the best I can."

The man who allegedly killed Hurst is awaiting trial on capital murder charges. Jury selection, which could take four to five weeks, is set to begin Aug. 18.

"It's a long process. So how do you schedule or plan anything during that time? But we'll get by. I'm ready to move on," she said. Helping the situation are her friends, Justin's parents and her son.

"I'm more involved with my friends and people in general. I try not to let the little things weigh me down. I go and visit my friends a lot and they come and visit me a lot," she said.

"I think I'm a lot more compassionate now. It's easier for me to relate to other people and their circumstances and to be more compassionate to them. But on the other extreme, it's hard to deal with people who complain about petty things."

Her son has helped her to keep things in perspective this year.

"He's amazing. He keeps me going. He's my sanity. But the thing that really tears my heart out is he'll run up to the telephone and say, 'Daddy?, Daddy?' Like Daddy's on the phone, and I'm like, 'Oh, I wish he were.'"