Jessie or Jess, as she was known to family and friends, was a kind, loving and hilarious soul with an easy laugh that would sometimes sound nearly identical to Bart Simpson’s. She was a beloved member of a myriad tight-knit communities of artists and musicians, but she was never a snob — she had the rare gift of being able to commute between the city’s various scenes, and the even rarer gift of being able to make any newcomer feel welcome in any of them. She was permitted such freedom of movement because she was cool, living by a code that demanded a mutual adherence to an etiquette based in inclusivity and generosity of spirit. She understood hospitality and how to make people happy, with many years of experience in the food and beverage industry, first as a server, then as a wine connoisseur and salesperson.

Nearly eight years ago, Jess walked down the aisle to The Knife’s “Heartbeats,” marrying the love of her life, Adam Hurlburt, a talented bass player in Solid Gold and Gayngs, whose music she loved and steadfastly supported from the side of the stage. She loved to dance, with an encyclopedic knowledge of electronica and techno — her favorite DJs were James Zabiela and Claude VonStroke. And when hosting friends, she was an opinionated curator of the aux cord playlist herself, as liable to queue up Biggie Smalls as Billie Eilish.

Family was Jessie’s ultimate priority. She was a wonderful daughter to her parents, Mark and Brenda, who taught her how to form and live by an ethical code. She was a cherished daughter-in-law to Phil and Jill Hurlburt. She was an adoring sister to her brother, Jon, and his wife Laura. And she was just as loving of a sister-in-law to Adam’s brother, Jake, and his wife, Katie. She was a doting aunt to nephews Ty and Cash and her new niece, baby Rylie. She was a treasured granddaughter to Grandma Betty Meadows, Grandma Deb Johnson and Grandpa Neal Schroeder. Most weekends in the summertime, Jess and Adam and their Havanese-Yorkie mix Linus could be found enveloped by family in a cabin, on either Lake Holcombe in Wisconsin, or on the Cottonwood River in Jess’ hometown of New Ulm.

Jess went beyond her devotion to her blood relatives to treat so many of us as family. She frequently brought joy to everyone she encountered, and she will be impossible to forget and terribly and painfully missed. She was loyal, stubborn, charming, and heartbreakingly cute–a hustler with dimples and sparkling eyes of hazel. Try to remember that laugh of hers for as long as you can.

A celebration of her life will take place on Friday, July 22, at the Turf Club, 1601 University Ave W., St. Paul, MN 554104. 4:30-5:30 pm with dinner, music, and an open mic to follow.

Burial will be Saturday, July 23, at Mt. Pisquah Cemetery at Nora Unitarian Universalist Church in rural Hanska at 2 p.m., with a time of fellowship in the social hall to follow.

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