Barbara "Bobbie" Gail Hurd

Barbara (Bobbie) Hurd, of Grover Beach, died December 14, 2024, after a short illness.

Bobbie was born to Henry and Pessa Klipstein in 1942. She grew up in Santa Ana, CA, where Henry operated Carl’s Jewelers. Pessa balanced raising Bobbie and her sister Judi with her work as a medical illustrator. At an early grade school show-and-tell Bobbie shared her mother's work, an illustration of a uterus. That resulted in a visit to the principal’s office and a call home. Little girls in the 1940s were not expected to know or use the word “uterus.”

Bobbie married her first husband in 1964. They had a son, Jeff and a daughter, Rena. They divorced in 1974. After completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology at Cal State San Bernardino, Bobbie fulfilled a promise to herself and moved to San Diego.

It was in San Diego that she met the greatest, most enduring love of her life, Ron Hurd.

Ron was her supervisor at Balboa Collection Agency. At first, Ron didn’t think she was cut out for collections. Bobbie always asked too many questions and the time she requested of Ron was always substantially longer than his other collectors. Ron and his best friend, Paul, had season tickets to the San Diego Chargers. When Paul moved away, Bobbie bought his season tickets.  Ron soon realized that she was more interested in spending time with him than watching football because she knew next to nothing about the sport.

Bobbie and Ron married in 1979 and moved to the Central Coast. They enjoyed 45 years of love, laughter, music, sports, and fun. Bobbie retired after 25 years working for the County of San Luis Obispo, Family Support Division. She loved concerts, shows, and exercise. She attended regular fitness classes until a few months before her death.

Bobbie gave great hugs, was an avid reader, a collector of all things hippo, and could fill a closet faster than you could unpack a suitcase.

The rich and precious memories of Bobbie’s life are held dearly by her husband Ron, her sister Judi Anderson, her son Jeff Simon (and his wife Anne and their daughter Alyssa), her daughter Rena Galvez (and her husband Felipe and their daughter Eleanor), her community and countless family and friends.

At Bobbie’s request, her memorial will be a private family affair.

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