Pearl Gourley

Pearl Warner Gourley was born on September 23, 1925 to Jesse Payton and Felma Nesbit Warner. She peacefully and boldly crossed to the other shore into the arms of loved ones waiting for her on June 2, 2016. As a child, she was precocious and curious about the world around her. She quickly developed a lifelong love of reading and learning.

At the tender age of five, she lost her mother to a terminal illness. Her father married Ida Holmes White who brought two children into the new family. Jesse and Ida raised the six children as faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. While having Sunday dinners and playing games, the children grew close and remained so for the rest of their lives.

Pearl attended West High School. While there she took multiple business courses and worked for Granite School District to finance her education at BYU. She caught the attention of Superintendent David Gourley who arranged for her to meet his son David Richard Gourley. After several years, they married on June 25, 1948.

Pearl went back to college when her youngest child entered school. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Utah in 1966. She began teaching first and second grade to students in Jordan School District. She continued to teach for the next twenty years. She loved each individual student and gave them her very best love and attention. Because of her own love of reading, one of the most gratifying aspects of teaching was educating young children so they could read and enjoy learning from books like she did.

Pearl was full of unconditional love, steadfast patience, generosity and kindness, devotion and compassion that were the essence of a wonderful daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and teacher of many. Pearl enjoyed serving in the capacity of a Temple worker, genealogy indexer, and until recently a beloved visiting teacher.

Preceded in death by her loving husband, David Richard Gourley, her father, mother, siblings Lenard, Clifford, Bob, and Mildred. Surviving Pearl are her four children: (Pearl) Ann (Michael) White, David L. (Nancy) Gourley, RaNae (Ray) Bennett, and Janene (Paul) Burton. Grandchildren: Tricia (David), Traci (Wade), Richard (Kaily), Michelle (Bradley), Janae (Jon), David R. (Emmy), Daniel (Christy), Scott (Amy), Camille (Paul), Angela, Lincoln (BreAna), Heidi (Jen), Christopher (Chelsea), Todd (Jill), Melissa (Benji), Trevor (Angela), and Kelsey (Jake). There are 45 great grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren all because two people fell in love! She is also survived by her sister Laurel (Doug) Larsen and David (Janice) Price, son of Mildred who lived with her family through high school.

The family is so thankful for the loving care of Solstice Hospice Care, in particular Becky, Jolene, Mike, Ginger, and Juan who all made her last days as comfortable as possible. An appreciation also must be mentioned for the comforting bond of love and devotion provided to Pearl by her granddaughter, Angela Palmer, giving her a sense of freedom right until the end.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 10, 2016 at the Elm Creek Ward, 8539 South 2200 West, West Jordan, Utah. Viewings will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday evening at Goff Mortuary, 8090 S. State Street, Midvale, Utah and 1 hour prior to the services, at the church. Interment, Redwood Memorial.