Obituary of Mr. Tony Hurter – FFS Refiners Founder.

On October 6, 2023, Anthony George Hurter, known to all as “Tony,” passed away peacefully at home with his family at his side. He is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, Diane Christine (née Ellcock), his son, Gregg (and his wife, Allison), his daughter, Patricia (and her husband, Walter Lunsmann), and his four grandchildren (Euan, Sean, Helen, & Craig), as well as many nieces and nephews.

Tony was born in Windhoek, the capital of modern-day Namibia, on January 5, 1938, to George Edwin Hurter and Agnes Monica Davis. He was the beloved little brother of the late Anne and Margaret, who doted on him throughout his life. A steadfast believer in the power of education, he began school in a one-room schoolhouse in Cedarville in the Western Cape, and later graduated from high school at St. Charles College in Pietermaritzburg. He obtained his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, and his MBA from the University of Cape Town. 

While in Durban, he met the love of his life on the eve of her 16th birthday. Diane and Tony married in 1960, and recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. As partners, they created a family, built a remarkable business, and traveled the world, and by all standards, lived an extraordinary life together across three continents.

Tony was a talented engineer and strategic visionary, with a drive to improve every process he encountered. He began his career at the Rhodesian Wattle Factory in Umtali Rhodesia, moved to Sasol, and then landed at Umfolozi Sugar. After completing his MBA, he worked for International Combustion Africa Ltd. before being compelled to launch his own venture during the 1974 fuel crisis. He envisioned utilizing alternative fuels to power industrial applications, and under Tony and Diane’s leadership, FFS Refiners grew to be the largest heavy fuel oil supplier in South Africa. The environmental impact of the company’s efforts was immense, since millions of tons of byproducts, contaminated fuels and waste were reprocessed into usable fuels, that would otherwise have been dumped. After nearly four decades of successful operation, the Hurter family sold the company in 2012.