Phil Gourley

Philip was born October 6, 1932 in a family cabin off Kent Creek in Dillard, Oregon to Philip M. Gourley and Ila Verl Gourley. He grew up and attended a number of one-room schools in logging camps in his early years in the Fair Oaks / Sutherlin area graduating from Sutherlin High School in 1951. He married his high school sweetheart Ila in 1952. They spent over 72 years together raising their family and loving each other. He was a smart, hard-working man and went to work for Gourley Brothers Logging, a logging company ran by his father and uncles until he was drafted into the Army. He spent two years in the Army in Electronics Warfare earning a National Defense Service Medal with the 63rd Army Signal Corps during the Korean War. His service started in Fort Monmouth New Jersey and was later relocated to Fort Huachuca Arizona. Once his service time ended, the family moved back to Oregon and he headed back into the woods working for various logging companies and working in Alaska as a contract cutter. They returned to the Willamette Valley in 1968. When they landed in Aumsville in 1972 that is where they spent the remainder of their years raising their family. He graduated from Linn Community College with a Degree in Forestry and was honored as Forestry Student of the Year. He began his career with the Oregon State Forestry Department in February 1972 and retiring in 1997. He served on the Aumsville Planning Commission and later the Aumsville City Council for a number of years throughout the 80’s and 90’s. He enjoyed traveling, hunting, camping, and spending time with his kitty Cotton who was “Daddy’s Little Girl”. The biggest highlight of his travels was going to Hawaii in 2007 and 2008. He also enjoyed visiting multiple National Parks and Monuments throughout his years. He set the gold standard of what it was to be a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He is survived by his daughter Jeanette, son David, thirteen grand-children, and many great-grandchildren and a few great-great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife Ila and children Nathan, Dennis, Janice, and Judy. Services will be held at Weddle Funeral Service, 1777 N 3rd Avenue, Stayton, Oregon 97383 at 1:00 P.M., Saturday, August 31, 2024.