Richard Gurley
June 11, 1938 - September 11, 2020 Resident of San Jose
Richard Raymond Gurley, 82, of San Jose, California, passed away with his family by his side on September 11, 2020 from congestive heart failure.
He was born in Van Nuys, California on June 11, 1938 and enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1955. He married the love of his life, Jada Mattert-gurley and they remained together for more than 48 years.
In 1963 he began his career with the San Jose Police Department. He valiantly served the San Jose community until his retirement in 1994. During his time with the SJPD he served as a member of the SJPD Motorcycle Unit, SWAT Team, and Range Unit but his most cherished time on the Department was spent with the Special Operations Division of the San Jose Bomb Squad for more than two decades.
He was preceded in death by his father Richard Gurley, Senior; his mother Mae Funderburk; and his little brother Ronnie Lee Gurley who also served as a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department until his death in 1974.
He is survived by Jada Gurley his wife of 40 years; his son and his wife David and Lisa Gurley of Redondo Beach, California; his daughter and her husband Denise and Bud Stiarwalt of Folsom, California; his baby daughter and her husband Janine and Rob Carnaroli of El Dorado Hills, California; his stepson and his wife Don and Carol Mattert of Chula Vista, California; his five beautiful grandchildren Shane, Michael, Mia, Ryan and Gia; his sister and her husband Linda and Bobby Langone of Stockton, California; and his cousins, nieces, and nephews.
He was a dedicated father to his four kids, an amazing “Poppy” to his 5 grandchildren and treasured time spent with family. He had many residences throughout his life, but “home” was the farm he lived on with Jada and their animals for the past 37 years. When not on the farm, he relished motorcycle adventures with his wife. He enjoyed many years tinkering on cars with his brother-in-law Dave and his nephew Bryan. An avid reader constantly learning about the world, he was quick to provide his point of view on all things great and small. He will be remembered as a Costco loyalist - it was a rare Costco product that evaded his grasp.
Most importantly, he saw life in black-and-white terms, was a strong moral compass to his children and set a solid example to his family by inherently understanding what is right, what is wrong, and living his life within those guiding principles.
A memorial service will be held at the San Joaquin National Cemetery on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. Due to COVID-19 limitations the service is closed to all mourners. There will be a celebration of life for all friends and loved ones when the pandemic allows.
The family would like to acknowledge the wonderful care he received from the doctors, nurses and other health care professionals at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center.