Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Calls outside of office hours? No worries! Our team will respond within 10–15 minutes.
January 18, 2012
Services
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 9:30 AM from the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, Wayne where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Monday from 4- 7 PM.
Joseph D. J. Gourley Sr. Esq., age 87, passed into life eternal on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 surrounded with loving family at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, Connecticut. His passing was quiet and peaceful after a long and wonderful life journey.
He was born in Paterson, NJ at his family residence at 298 Sussex Street.
Joseph received his formal education at Saint Agnes RC Grammar School in Paterson. He then went on to Saint Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City and after graduation attended Fordham University. He then went on to Fordham Law School. In 1943 at the age of nineteen he enlisted into the Army where he attained the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Force. His military assignment was as a tail gunner in a B-29 Super Fortress in the 20th Air Force 314th bomb wing, 29th Bomb Group in the Western Pacific. His base assignment was in Guam where many B-29 Bombers were based.
He was honorably discharged from the service and returned to Fordham University to complete his studies. He graduated from Fordham Law School and was Admitted to the Bar of NJ and the Federal District Court on November 23, 1951. He was later admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in April 1963.
Joseph maintained a private law practice with offices in Paterson and in Wayne.
He served as Secretary to the Mayor of Paterson, Lester F. Titus from April 1954 to December 1955. He served as Judge for the Wayne Township Municipal Court from 1967 to 1970, as the Prosecutor for Passaic County from 1970 to 1975 and as County Counsel for Passaic County from 1983 to 1986.
He was a member of the Passaic County Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey County Prosecutor’s Association, the U.S. Army Air Force Association, the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars, and the Serra club. He was a third Degree Knight at the Knights of Columbus Council 10206 and was a member of the Princeton Commons Home owners Corporation, along with many other organizations..
Joe was gifted with a charismatic, easy going personality that caused people to admire him and seek out his professionalism. A nice description of him would be that he was a handsome fellow well met and a popular personality in the local community.
He met a beautiful girl by the name of Mary McDonnell in first grade and they married on June 21, 1952. They had forty six years of loving marriage together until Mary’s passing on February 14, 1998.
Joe’s greatest joy in life was his family. He cherished his role’s of husband, father & grandfather. He provided unconditional love, nurturance & guidance. Joe had a wonderful sense of humor, and loved to tell stories. He was an active, involved parent/grandparent. A natural athlete, he enjoyed sharing his love of sports.
Dad, having you as a parent was a gift. To know you was to love you. Thanks for being so special in our lives.
Surviving to mourn his loss are two daughters Mary Beth Hart and her husband Paul of Morristown, Ginny Burgess and her husband Matthew of Colchester, Connecticut; two sons Joseph D. Gourley Jr. and his wife Debbie of Wayne and Dennis Gourley and his wife Joanne of Cape Coral, Florida. Seven grandchildren Douglas, Matthew, Lauren, Gregory, William, Sean, and Katie and one great grandchild, Jack Ryan.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Joseph’s memory are asked to consider Eva’s Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ 07501.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 9:30 AM from the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, Wayne where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Monday from 4- 7 PM.
January 18, 2012
Services
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 9:30 AM from the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, Wayne where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Monday from 4- 7 PM.
Joseph D. J. Gourley Sr. Esq., age 87, passed into life eternal on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 surrounded with loving family at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, Connecticut. His passing was quiet and peaceful after a long and wonderful life journey.
He was born in Paterson, NJ at his family residence at 298 Sussex Street.
Joseph received his formal education at Saint Agnes RC Grammar School in Paterson. He then went on to Saint Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City and after graduation attended Fordham University. He then went on to Fordham Law School. In 1943 at the age of nineteen he enlisted into the Army where he attained the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Force. His military assignment was as a tail gunner in a B-29 Super Fortress in the 20th Air Force 314th bomb wing, 29th Bomb Group in the Western Pacific. His base assignment was in Guam where many B-29 Bombers were based.
He was honorably discharged from the service and returned to Fordham University to complete his studies. He graduated from Fordham Law School and was Admitted to the Bar of NJ and the Federal District Court on November 23, 1951. He was later admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in April 1963.
Joseph maintained a private law practice with offices in Paterson and in Wayne.
He served as Secretary to the Mayor of Paterson, Lester F. Titus from April 1954 to December 1955. He served as Judge for the Wayne Township Municipal Court from 1967 to 1970, as the Prosecutor for Passaic County from 1970 to 1975 and as County Counsel for Passaic County from 1983 to 1986.
He was a member of the Passaic County Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey County Prosecutor’s Association, the U.S. Army Air Force Association, the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars, and the Serra club. He was a third Degree Knight at the Knights of Columbus Council 10206 and was a member of the Princeton Commons Home owners Corporation, along with many other organizations..
Joe was gifted with a charismatic, easy going personality that caused people to admire him and seek out his professionalism. A nice description of him would be that he was a handsome fellow well met and a popular personality in the local community.
He met a beautiful girl by the name of Mary McDonnell in first grade and they married on June 21, 1952. They had forty six years of loving marriage together until Mary’s passing on February 14, 1998.
Joe’s greatest joy in life was his family. He cherished his role’s of husband, father & grandfather. He provided unconditional love, nurturance & guidance. Joe had a wonderful sense of humor, and loved to tell stories. He was an active, involved parent/grandparent. A natural athlete, he enjoyed sharing his love of sports.
Dad, having you as a parent was a gift. To know you was to love you. Thanks for being so special in our lives.
Surviving to mourn his loss are two daughters Mary Beth Hart and her husband Paul of Morristown, Ginny Burgess and her husband Matthew of Colchester, Connecticut; two sons Joseph D. Gourley Jr. and his wife Debbie of Wayne and Dennis Gourley and his wife Joanne of Cape Coral, Florida. Seven grandchildren Douglas, Matthew, Lauren, Gregory, William, Sean, and Katie and one great grandchild, Jack Ryan.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Joseph’s memory are asked to consider Eva’s Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ 07501.
Guestbook