Funeral and procession set for former Columbia fire captain

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A funeral and procession will be held Monday for former Columbia Fire Captain Billy Hurt, who died after an accident at the Kennedale Speedway Park in Texas earlier this month.

Hurt's funeral service will begin at 2 p.m. Monday at The Crossing Church on Southland Drive. The procession will begin around 3:15 p.m. and travel west on Grindstone Parkway, north onto Providence Road, then west to Stadium Blvd. and head westbound on I-70 to the Route B exit in Boonville.

The procession will then travel through Boonville around 3:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Drivers are encouraged to avoid the sides of the road and intersections along Route B, Route J and Route O during the procession.

Any Boonville resident wishing to pay their respects as the procession goes by can do so by gathering at the empty parking lot by the Rick Ball car dealership on Main Street or the Route B mall parking lot.

Billy Hurt was a longtime sprint car safety official and retired Columbia firefighter who died during an accident at a World of Outlaws event in Texas on March 14. The Kennedale Police Department said two officials collided while responding to an on-track sprint car crash, ejecting both from their vehicles.

The 66-year-old had served as a sprint car safety official for more than 23 years, a role colleagues described as one of his true passions.