Gordon James Gourley

Gordon James Gourley

Gordon was born in Tacoma Washington, January 27, 1935 to Arthur James Gourley and Viola Cavita Brown. He was the fourth and youngest of the siblings. His siblings were Ralph Wesley, Joyce Arlene and Ronald Eugene. Their parents divorced when Gordon was young and they spent a few years living with different uncles and aunts in the Seattle and Tacoma area. Uncle Will and Aunt Iva (Gourley) Stewart picked the kids up from Bremerton Washington and brought them to their farm outside Viola Idaho when Gordon was about 9. They lived on the farm until the family moved into Moscow Idaho.

Gordon attended schools in Viola and Moscow and graduated Moscow High School in 1954. It was that same year that he joined the Army. Basic training was in Fort Ord California, then went to Fort Gordon Georgia for radio and teletype training, then was stationed in Korea at the end of the Korean war. He was discharged in 1956.

Gordon talked about working at the Hobby Shop in Moscow during his high school years. He really enjoyed working here learning all about bikes and motorcycles. After the Army he worked for McCoy Plumbing for a short time. Then he drove Mobil gas truck for Fred Handel delivering gas and stove oil around Latah county, and started learning to work on furnaces. After this he went back to work for McCoy Plumbing for several years until he got hired on by WSU. He started out in the plumbing shop and soon went to the sheet metal shop. When his supervisor found out he knew something about heating and ventilation he was moved to the control shop. WSU sent him to a few classes on HVAC. He took early retirement from WSU.

Gordon met his future bride, Verlene Evelyn McCoy, when they were in Junior High school in Moscow. In High school Verlene’s family moved to the farm a few miles from Viola where she would have to attend school in Palouse Washington. Gordon would ride his bike out to the farm to visit her. They married July 21, 1956 at the Moscow Church of the Nazarene in the original location on Third Street. They took their honeymoon in Glacier National Park. They had two sons. Gale James, July 2, 1957 and Eugene Wesley, June 23, 1960.

After retirement Gordon started his second career when him and Verlene decided they wanted to be snow birds. It was at that time that he started logging their timberland on Moscow Mountain, using a chainsaw, Cant Hook and a Ford Bronco to skid the logs. They enjoyed going south during the winter and spending most of their time in Quartzsite or Yuma Arizona. They continued their trek to Arizona until Verlene’s health deteriorated. After Verlene’s death in 2016, he started going back to Arizona. A few years after Verlene’s death he and Dianna Olson started “hanging out” and eventually he convinced her to take her camper and go south with him. Gordon loved spending time with his family. One of his particular favorites was when the whole family would go for picnics Sunday afternoons after church on his property on Moscow Mountain. He also loved to go fishing.

Gordon has been a member of the Nazarene Church since the time he arrived in Idaho.

Gordon was preceded in death by both parents Arthur and Viola, “parents” that raised him Uncle Will and Aunt Iva, brothers Ralph and Ron Gourley, wife Verlene Gourley and son Gene Gourley.

Gordon is survived by his sister Joyce Gourley Harper of Connell Washington; son Gale (Tracie) Gourley of Moscow; grandsons Michael (Kalie) Gourley of Lewiston Idaho, Aaron Gourley of Moscow, David (Maria) Gourley of Moscow; great grandsons Owen Gourley, Myles Gourley, Liam Gourley and Kaleb Gourley of Moscow and great granddaughter Mila Gourley of Lewison; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Gordon’s memorial service will be at the Moscow Church of the Nazarene, June 6th at 11:00 am with a graveside service at 1:30 pm at the Viola Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers you can send donations to Shriners Children’s Hospital in Spokane Washington or Moscow Church of the Nazarene.