G. David Hurd

February 06, 2016

Service Details

G. David Hurd, the only son of Gerald and Hilldur Hurd, was born December 14, 1929 in Chicago. He died February 6, 2016 at the age of 86. He will be deeply mourned and lovingly remembered by his wife, Trudy Holman Hurd; his children, Janet Nunziata (Bruce) of Shelburne, VT, Sally Hurd (Bart Levine) of Sebastopol, CA, Michael Hurd (Teresa) of Dallas, TX; his grandchildren, Natasha Gialto (Richard), Keith Nunziata (Ivy), Grace Levine and Miles Levine; two great grandchildren; and five nieces and nephews. He will be missed greatly by the Holman family: Steve, Washington, DC; Deborah, Brookline, MA; Lisa Holman Fox & Barry Fox, and Brandon and Zoey Fox. Dave is preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Patricia Lamb Hurd and his second wife, Barbara Brubaker Hurd.

Dave graduated from Michigan State in 1951, served in the army in the Korean War and came to Des Moines in 1954 to start a furniture-making business with an army buddy. In order to support their entrepreneurial dream, they were looking for work when they passed Bankers Life, Inc., the precursor to Principal Financial Group. Dave said, “Let's go in here, I've got a life insurance policy with them.” They were hired on the spot. It was the beginning of a 40-year career which culminated in his serving as President, CEO and Chairman of the multi-billion dollar company and leading it into the international market. His legacy at Principal is widely known and felt to this day. He led the business community in removing barriers to employment for LGBT persons and put himself on record publicly to encourage others to do the same. He brought his beloved employees to a new level of health and fitness through his strong belief and leadership in wellness. Known for running to and from work most every day, his retirement party was a 5k run for the whole company. He became a respected leader nationally in many industry related groups.

He believed his purpose in life was to “try to make the world a better place, whether by picking up trash, or raising funds for worthwhile causes, or making donations from my own funds, or building networks of friends and acquaintances to have a stronger more successful community.” He lived his life to make that happen.

Dave embraced Des Moines as his home and became passionate about challenging the community to become a world-class city. He devoted years of his life and much of his treasure to actively support making this dream a reality. His brilliance, his strategic thinking and planning, his constant leadership and ability to build coalitions in the most unlikely places, and his skill at making things happen made Dave the go-to person when something needed to get done. He cared about everything from clean water, to developing greater relationships between business and the police department, to saving cranes worldwide. He once spent a weekend with Chief Bill Moulder and driving around with police officers to give the Chief some feedback, much to the surprise of all involved. A renaissance man, his vision included progress for our city in the arts and culture, music, education, recreation, health and wellness, employment. He was so proud of how far the city has come. His life as a runner in town was legendary. A cyclist and rower, he was committed to daily health and wellness and encouraged all around him to do the same because he knew their life would improve.

Dave served on and chaired countless Boards, indicating his wide range of interests. Some of those included: Project Iowa, The Community Foundation, Nature Conservancy of Iowa, Downtown Community Alliance, DM Arts Festival, International Advisory Council of Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy, Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series, Whitewater Coalition, Public Art Foundation, Governor's Task Force on Energy Policy, DM Audubon Society, to name just a few, and many, many industry related organizations.

He was one of the founding directors of the Iowa Environmental Council and Co-Convenor of Business for Peace. Dave's conservation vision and financial support allowed the Nature Conservancy to start Broken Kettle Grasslands in the Loess Hills, Iowa's largest native prairie. Always looking to the future, a more recent gift established an endowment to ensure the long-term protection of this Iowa treasure, which now spans approximately 7,000 acres. He always looked to the future and challenged others to do the same in their visioning. He was honored over the years by so many organizations for his loyal work and always wondered why they would pick him for an award. A few of those include Iowa Legal Aid, Interfaith Alliance, Greater DM Community Foundation Better Together Award, Outstanding Philanthropist, Primary Health Care-the AIDS Project, Eychaner Foundation Matthew Shepard Scholarship Lifetime Achievement Award and DM Music Coalition.

Humble, kind, fair, honest-as-the-day-is-long, intellectually gifted, extraordinary, impish, quirky, joyful, serious but never took himself too serious, courageous, loving, a natural leader and a perfect husband are some words used to describe Dave. Throughout his lifetime, Dave was a man of many and varied interests, none of which he pursued casually. He co-founded the DM Scrabble Club with his good friend, Mark Movic. He was a marathon and ultra-marathon runner who participated in marathons across the country and even outside the country, as well as organizing a number of races in DM with that same friend. Dave was widely read and took up both French and Spanish as a business man and after retirement. He was the senior member of his beloved Prairie Club, and started a poker club. He traveled the world and was an avid birder. A man of great distinction, he lived his life to the fullest and enriched the lives of those around him in doing so. While he will be missed by many, the legacy of his contributions to the community and causes dear to his heart will endure, just as he will always be loved and honored in our memories.

Services will be a Celebration of Life on Tuesday, February 16, at the Atrium of Capital Square, 400 Locust St., 5:00-8:00, with a Celebration program at 6:45. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, February 17, 10:30 at the First Unitarian Church, 1800 Bell Avenue.
Seating is somewhat limited at the church.

Rather than flowers, Dave would be honored with memorials to Project Iowa, or Youth & Shelter Services, Inc. (YSS).

Print