James “Jim” Elliott Gourley, Jr.

James “Jim” Elliott Gourley, Jr. was born Sep. 9, 1935, in Windber, Penn., to James Elliott Gourley, Sr. and Ethel Elizabeth Curry. He married Margaret Allene “Allene” Murphey on May 8, 1958. Allene passed away in 2011. He married Mary Genevieve (Swinney) Howard on December 12, 2012. Jim passed away on August 16, 2016.
Jim and Allene were the parents of four children; Doug, Ron, Ken, and Wendy.
Survivors: His “Sweetie,” Mary Gourley of Granbury; sister, Betty Ludwig of Harrisburg, PA; sons, Douglas Gourley and wife, Marcia, of LaCrosse, WI; Ronald Gourley and wife, Alicia, of Southlake, TX and their children, Sarah Beth (Sarah’s husband, Paul Idziak, and their children Piper Faith and Roman Russell), Logan James, and Raquel Allyse; Kenneth Gourley of Madison, Wis. and his children, Rylee Shae (Rylee’s husband Ross Schuchardt, and their children Easton Michael and Otto Sterling) and Breckken Walter; and his daughter, Wendy Gourley Sullivan and husband, Dr. Douglas Sullivan, of LaCrosse, Wis., and their children, Bailey William, Keegan Murphey, Griffin Elliot, and Ella Grace; his nephew, Don Ludwig, of Germany; his niece, Carol Bell, of Harrisburg, PA; and by many family members and friends.
Jim attended Greenbrier Military Academy and served in the US Navy. Following his military service, Jim attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning a degree in Chemistry. Jim worked for PPG and Hydrite Chemical Company, moving his family from Pennsylvania, to Chicago, to upstate New York, to Madison, Wisconsin, and to La Grange, Kentucky. Following his retirement from Hydrite, Jim and Allene relocated to Granbury, Texas.
Jim was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, and playing golf, first at Sun Prairie Country Club, and Maple Bluff Country Club, in Wisconsin, then at Persimmon Ridge in Kentucky, and later at Pecan Plantation in Granbury, TX. He spent many hours teaching his children and grandchildren how to catch a fish, use a fly-rod, aim the perfect shot, and how to hit a precise wedge shot – skills they continue to use and enjoy today.
Jim’s final years were spent with his Sweetie, Mary, with whom he shared a love of golf, an appreciation of fine wine, dinners with friends, reading books on their Nooks, and wearing their “rally caps” while cheering on the Texas Rangers. Jim and Mary often commented that they wished they’d had more years together, because life together was such fun.
A memorial service for Jim will be held on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 303 W. Bridge Street, in Granbury. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Jim’s honor be made to The Chileda School, 1825 Victory Street, La Crosse, WI 54601.
“A man of God, a man of his word, and a man that will always be loved and missed by his family and friends.”