Joseph Thomas Hurt, father, brother, mentor, and jokester, passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Monday, June 1, 2020. Joe was born on March 12, 1950 in Odessa, TX, to Myers Robinson and Marjorie Lucille Hurt. He is survived by his children;fed Robin Alice of Kingwood, TX and Stephen Keith Hurt of Humble, TX; his grandchildren Dylan Keith Marroquin, Tyler Patrick Harvey and Brooks William Blachly. His brothers Stephen Robinson Hurt of Odessa and Myers Robinson Hurt II and wife Patti of Dallas; nephews Myers Robinson Hurt III and wife Ragan of Paris, Tx; Benjamin John Hurt and wife Caroline of Dallas; Samuel Richardson Hurt of Lubbock; his niece Hallie Victoria Hurt and wife Jordan of Midland; his great nephews Kyler Hurt and Finn Hurt of Midland and his great niece Celia Grace Hurt of Lubbock. Joe proudly worked as an oil mud engineer. He loved rock and roll music, dirt track racing cars, and Harley Davidson motorcycles, collecting souvenir shirts from all over the world. More than willing to confront those who impeded upon his loved ones, Joe wasn’t afraid to say whatever necessary in his pursuit of protecting those he cared for; a ferocious defender of his chosen family. Joe loved his children dearly, providing the best possible life he could, always willing to donate towards an overdue bill or lend an eager ear to any problem. In the end, Joe focused more on the past than any potential future, on his regrets, his failures. Regardless, he would want his passing to be marked by a celebration of his life rather than a mourning of his departure. If any lessons could be learned from his passing, they would be: to enjoy the special moments in life, for they are fleeting; to resist the pull of daily monotony; and to embrace and learn from failures instead of being defined by them.