Mr. Bruce Morton Gourley's Obituary
After many months of declining health, Bruce Morton Gourley, 93, passed away at 11:48 p.m. on May 10th at Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Born July 15, 1929, in Canton, OH, Bruce was the youngest son of David C. Gourley and Faith P. Gourley. He was married to Lynne S. Gourley on June 16th, 1957. Lynne passed away January 24th, 2020, after a multi-year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. He was also preceded in death by his older brother, Bob Gourley. He is survived by his two children, Bruce, 64, of Brunswick, MD, and Scott, 60, of Berryville, VA,
The Gourley family moved to Jamestown, NY when David Gourley lost his job during the Great Depression. Bruce graduated from Jamestown High School in 1947 where he was active in track and field and basketball. He then enlisted in the Navy from 1948 until 1952 and served aboard the U.S.S. Wasp aircraft carrier as a meteorologist. After an honorable discharge, he attended Dickenson College on a partial basketball scholarship from 1953 to 1956, where he met his wife, Lynne. He was a proud member of Alpha Chi Rho Fraternity. After graduating from college with a BA, he reenlisted in the Navy from 1957-58 aboard the U.S.S. Ticonderoga aircraft carrier. He ultimately attained the rank of Lieutenant, j.g. He left the navy because Lynne did not want to be a military wife and because he missed her too much while on tours of duty at sea.
He began employment with State Farm Life Insurance in 1958 in the Pennsylvania Regional Office. He quickly moved to Charlottesville, VA, where he helped to open up that Regional Office. In 1964 he moved his young family to Greely, CO to assist in starting another Regional Office. Thn, in 1965, he moved to Frederick, MD to aid in the opening of the Seaboard Region Office. He worked for State Farm Life Insurance for thirty-three years, retiring in 1991. He rose to the position of Life Company Service Superintendent. He earned his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) degree in 1969; achieved the status of Fellow Life Management Institute (FMLI) in 1979; was president of the Western Maryland Chapter of the American Society of CLU and Mid-Atlantic Claims Association and was active in Toastmasters.
When not working, Bruce enjoyed several hobbies, especially after he retired. He loved golf; pursued a lifelong hobby of building models, especially WWII era aircraft; was a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan; traveled on countless Disney cruises in the Bahamas with Lynne; visited Florida every winter after he retired; took and cataloged photographs of his trips; observed rocket launches in person; listened to Big Band Music and watched movies from 1930-50’s.
No public service will be held. The inurnment will be private at Resthaven and take place at the family’s discretion.
In lieu of flowers, please make a charitable contribution to the Wounded Warriors Project, www.woundedwarriorproject.org or by phone at 855-448-3997.
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