Obituary: Eileen Ruth Gurley, The Dalles

Eileen Ruth Gurley

Eileen Ruth Gurley, beloved mother, nana and granana sadly passed away on Monday, February 6, 2023, in The Dalles, Oregon with her daughter by her side at the age of 89.  She will be dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her.

She was born to Kenneth Emmet Cook and Lois Virginia Hines in Mountain Home, Idaho in 1933.  In 1938, her parents divorced, and she lived with her grandparents until her mother married Roy Luther Duncan and the family moved to California, living on Balboa Island.  Her father Kenneth married Lillian Jennie Rogers.  Kenneth and Lillian had four children, Jennie, Phil, Roger and Ron.  Eileen would not meet these siblings until she was and adult and was overjoyed to do so. 

She had many happy memories of her grandparents George and Anna Hines on their farm in Mountain Home and of grandparents Myron and Helen Cook.  She loved to help with chores on the farm and get into mischief, being quite good at the latter.  She once covered the entire floor of her grandpa Hines workshop floor with cat tail fluff, jumping into it off his workbench.  

One day she excitedly told her grandma and grandpa Hines that she was in the school Christmas play and got to hold up one of the letters to spell Christmas. Her grandpa Hines asked her which one and when she told him H, he said that must be for hellion.  Her grandpa Cook always told her that her middle name of Ruth stood for ruthless. 

In the early 1950s, the family moved to Grass Valley, Oregon to be near Roy’s family.  Eileen attended Moro High School, home of the Huskies. While in high school she was on the staff of the Huskey, the school’s newspaper and annual staff, the glee club, student council, Future Homemakers of America, and was in the senior class play as Mrs. Logan in Pure as The Driven Snow.  She graduated in 1953 with a graduating class of 14.

Eileen was a spunky teenager and told stories of her life in Grass Valley. She and her friends kept quite busy in school and in numerous other activities including putting sheep in the high school gym and returning with hay to feed them.  Disassembling a piece of farm equipment and reassembling it in the hotel lobby and painting the town of Wasco red literally, by painting the sidewalks red. 

After high school, Eileen went to work at the truck stop in Biggs Junction, Oregon, where she met the love of her life Clifford Gurley.  They eloped and were married in Goldendale WA. September 22, 1958.  

Clifford worked in road construction and building power lines across Washington and Oregon.  Working in different locations meant that the couple traveled a lot and lived in several cities including Wenatchee, WA., and Baker City and Cascade Locks, Oregon.  They finally settled down buying a small house in Wood Village, Oregon where their only child Wendy was born.  

In the early ‘60s, Eileen and Clifford moved to The Dalles, to settle down and make a home.  Clifford would go on to travel for his job, leaving Eileen and Wendy to stay in The Dalles so Wendy wouldn’t have to change schools while moving around.  Even with working away from home, he was always home on the weekends.

Eileen stayed busy making friends and doing activities.  She was in a bowling league for several years, was the leader of her daughter’s brownie group and spent time with the Home Extension group learning skills including home canning.  However, one of her favorite pastimes was fishing for steelhead on the Deschutes River with her friend Loraine every summer.

Eileen went to work for Stadelman Fruit in the ‘70s and started as a sorter, then became one of their first female forklift drivers which at that time was not well accepted.  She took great pride in her work, finally retiring as a plant supervisor.  Her years spent there were some of the happiest of her life, meeting many of her dearest friends.  

After retiring, Eileen kept busy with yard work and doing projects around the house.  When she wasn’t busy with that she was volunteering in the community.  First as a victim’s advocate for the elderly, CASA, and later helping at Chenoweth Elementary. 

The children all loved her very much for her kind but firm manner and her sense of humor.  However, her biggest joy was loving her family.  Her husband Clifford, daughter Wendy and husband Jim, grandchildren and then great-grandchildren.

She is survived by her daughter Wendy of The Dalles, OR (husband Jim and daughter Chelsea), brother Ken of Oro Valley, AZ (wife Coleen), sister-in-law Ida Duncan of Eugene, OR, sister Jennie Lane of Clatskanie, Or (husband Dave), brothers Ron, Robert and Phil cook (wife Eliene). Granddaughter Kyra Shoptaw of Milwaukie, OR (spouse J), Grandson Duncan Shoptaw of Vancouver, WA (wife Amanda, sons Jamesen, Andrew, and Fletcher and daughters Chloee and Ella), and many extended family and friends. 

Eileen was preceded in death by her husband Clifford Gurley, older sister Barbara Cantrall, baby brother Harold Duncan, and beloved niece Chrissy Cantrall.  

Funeral arrangements are with Spencer, Libby, and Powell, The Dalles, Oregon.  Memorial service will be at 11 am, Friday February 17th in the chapel.  Private burial will follow.

Potluck gathering for family and friends will follow the burial from 2-5 at Eileen Gurley’s home in The Dalles, Or.