Mauricio Hurtado
COLUMBIA — Mauricio Hurtado of Columbia died Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, at Landmark Hospital. He was 69.
Mr. Hurtado was born Feb. 19, 1942, in Popayan, Colombia, to Jose Raphael and Gilma Sanchez.
He married Julia Kucinskis on Dec. 24, 1967. Kucinskis was one of the first female members of the Peace Corps, and the two met while she was working in Colombia. The couple lived in Colombia for 13 years before moving back to Kucinskis' home state of Missouri.
"We moved from Colombia, South America, to Columbia, Missouri," joked his daughter, Sandra Hurtado-Peters.
Before coming to Columbia, Hurtado worked as an accounting professor at the University of Cauca and at the military school in Colombia. He was also a talented and accomplished musician that toured Colombia singing and playing the tiple, an instrument similar to the guitar.
"He had a passion for music," said Hurtado-Peters.
Although he stopped performing publicly when he moved to the United States, he still enjoyed listening to Colombian music and singing.
"When he moved here, he had to start from scratch. He was a renowned professor in Colombia, but here he had to start his whole life over and go back to school," said his daughter.
While living in Missouri, Hurtado worked as an auditor for the state for many years before he retired in 2007.
In his spare time, Hurtado enjoyed watching soccer, discussing politics and attending the sporting events and orchestra performances of his children.
His son, Joe Hurtado, remembered how his father loved going to his baseball games and watching his sister play the violin.
"He was always very generous with helping family," said his daughter.
Mr. Hurtado is survived by a daughter, Sandra Hurtado-Peters, and her husband, Dave Peters, of Ankeny, Iowa; a son, Joe Hurtado, and his wife, Kim, of Columbia; three brothers, Hugo, Harold and Jose; two sisters, Fabiola and Lucy; three grandchildren; and many cousins, nephews and nieces, all of Colombia.
His parents and wife died earlier.
The memorial service will be 1 p.m Saturday at Parker Funeral Service, 22 N. Tenth St.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the National Kidney Foundation, 30 E. 33rd St., New York, NY 10016.
Condolences can be posted at parkerfuneralservice.com
