1911
Irma
2016
Irma Margaret Gourley (Suksdorf)
February 14, 1911 — April 6, 2016
Born February 14, 1911 In Spangle, Washington; Died April 6, 2016, In Santa Rosa, California
At the age of 5, her family moved from a wheat farm in Spangle, Washington to a larger wheat farm in Wilsall Montana, later to Eugene, and then to Coos Junction (now Winston, Oregon), in 1922. She attended Roseburg High School where she was selected as Valedictorian of her graduating class.
In 1934 she married Peter Hampton Gourley, a logger, and had two children. Always an enthusiastic gardener, she developed a large rock garden in Hermiston, Oregon, and became a member of the American Rock Garden Society, regularly contributing data and articles to their Quarterly Bulletin. After the death of her husband in 1985, at her age of 74, she was one of the first to Switch from writing with a conventional typewriter to a Smith-Corona Word Processor (newly on the market) and then to regular computers. The new document technologies contributed to her completing an autobiography, "Growing Up with the West". Copies of this book are available by contacting her son Darrell Gourley at his email:
darrellgourley@gmail.com .
In 1993 she moved to a senior mobile home community in Santa Rosa, California, where she developed a garden in a new, much different climate and wrote articles on making successful changes in plants and care.
Irma, a constant reader, created a large collection of books, mainly on Archaeology, Biblical history, and modern science. In 2004 she acquired a large diary written by her great- uncle Theodore Suksdorf, from 1884 to 1889. Her translation to English of the hand-written German text, saved by year in six WORD files, was sent to various relatives, and is still available.
She Is survived by her two sons, Darrell and Ted, by four grandchildren, Vincent, Ann, Grant and Brandon, and by great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
Her memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on April 19, 2016, at Daniels Chapel of the Roses, 1225 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa CA 95405, Telephone (707)525-3730.
She will be laid to rest next to her husband at Fair Oaks Cemetery. An additional graveside memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on April 21, 2016, at the Fair Oaks Cemetery located about 6 miles east of Sutherlin, Oregon. Sutherlin Chapel of the Roses (541) 459-2281. Please visit Irma's web site at www.sutherlinchapeloftherosesfh.com
At the age of 5, her family moved from a wheat farm in Spangle, Washington to a larger wheat farm in Wilsall Montana, later to Eugene, and then to Coos Junction (now Winston, Oregon), in 1922. She attended Roseburg High School where she was selected as Valedictorian of her graduating class.
In 1934 she married Peter Hampton Gourley, a logger, and had two children. Always an enthusiastic gardener, she developed a large rock garden in Hermiston, Oregon, and became a member of the American Rock Garden Society, regularly contributing data and articles to their Quarterly Bulletin. After the death of her husband in 1985, at her age of 74, she was one of the first to Switch from writing with a conventional typewriter to a Smith-Corona Word Processor (newly on the market) and then to regular computers. The new document technologies contributed to her completing an autobiography, "Growing Up with the West". Copies of this book are available by contacting her son Darrell Gourley at his email:
darrellgourley@gmail.com .
In 1993 she moved to a senior mobile home community in Santa Rosa, California, where she developed a garden in a new, much different climate and wrote articles on making successful changes in plants and care.
Irma, a constant reader, created a large collection of books, mainly on Archaeology, Biblical history, and modern science. In 2004 she acquired a large diary written by her great- uncle Theodore Suksdorf, from 1884 to 1889. Her translation to English of the hand-written German text, saved by year in six WORD files, was sent to various relatives, and is still available.
She Is survived by her two sons, Darrell and Ted, by four grandchildren, Vincent, Ann, Grant and Brandon, and by great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
Her memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on April 19, 2016, at Daniels Chapel of the Roses, 1225 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa CA 95405, Telephone (707)525-3730.
She will be laid to rest next to her husband at Fair Oaks Cemetery. An additional graveside memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on April 21, 2016, at the Fair Oaks Cemetery located about 6 miles east of Sutherlin, Oregon. Sutherlin Chapel of the Roses (541) 459-2281. Please visit Irma's web site at www.sutherlinchapeloftherosesfh.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Irma Margaret Gourley (Suksdorf), please visit our flower store.
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