Frances Geraldine Trammell "Gerry" Hurley

Frances Geraldine Trammell Hurley, “Gerry,” passed away peacefully at her home on Pine Tree Road on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. She was 93.

A bright light in the Salisbury community for more than six decades, Gerry was known for her quick wit, warm heart, and extraordinary generosity. She was the cherished wife of James F. “Jimmy” Hurley III, who died in 2012 and was the longtime publisher of the Salisbury Post.

For years, Gerry served as the behind-the-scenes “first lady” of the newspaper and often provided a sounding board and counsel for her publisher husband. The pair, who were devoted to each other over their 54 years of marriage, also partnered in philanthropic ventures and the constant generosity they showered on family and friends.

Born on Jan. 4, 1932, in Clinton, S.C., Gerry was the only child of Roy and Alice Trammell. From the start, she was strong, spirited, and ahead of her time. After graduating from Winthrop College in 1953 with a degree in home economics, she began her career as a home demonstration agent in Rock Hill. Her intelligence, poise, and leadership quickly stood out, and in time she accepted a position as assistant home extension agent in Rowan County--where fate, and a small-town newspaper, soon intervened.

Jimmy's youngest brother, Gordon, clipped out the photograph of Gerry Trammell, wrote some encouraging comments to Jimmy in the margin and gave it to him when the newspaper announcement was made of her new job in Rowan County. Meanwhile, reporter Homer Lucas returned from a meeting of county commissioners where Gerry was introduced and claimed he had found a match for young Jimmy.

They began dating within a month and were married on June 11, 1958.

Jimmy liked to point out that she was the breadwinner at the time, making $400 a month from the state, compared to his $277 a month as a reporter. Still, Gerry resigned as assistant Rowan County home agent in January 1959, and in the years to come, the couple made many friends at their successive Salisbury homes on Mahaley Avenue, Corriher Avenue and Pine Tree Road.

Gerry's kindness often took the form of action. She supported countless nonprofits and causes, from the Rowan Women's Shelter to the Pops at the Post concert she adored. She served on the board of Elizabeth Holmes Hurley Park for decades and found joy in helping preserve and grow the garden that bore her mother-in-law's name.

Catawba College was close to her heart, and in 1989, she and Jimmy gave to endow its School of Humanities and support the Freshman Studies Program. Gerry also funded travel scholarships at Catawba and Winthrop, opening the world to students who might not otherwise have seen it.

In 1991, she honored her husband's legacy by establishing the James F. Hurley III Bicentennial Merit Scholarship at UNC's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, a gift that continues to support aspiring print journalists. Gerry said it combined two great loves of her husband -- newspapers and UNC.

Gerry also had a passion for golf and on occasion won tournaments held at the Country Club of Salisbury. She teamed with women partners to win the Edgar Welch Memorial Golf Tournament several times, along with other nine-hole and 18-hole events. On the course, she had a ready laugh and an easy swing.

The Hurleys became big supporters in the 1990s of The Futures Tour for women, which for several years had a Salisbury stop on its circuit. They routinely were hosts for women golf professionals during that event.

Gerry's home was a haven, her friendship a comfort, and her table always open. She had a talent for storytelling that could make a whole room lean in and listen--stories that drew laughter, reflection, and sometimes tears.

Gerry Hurley lived with grace, gratitude, and grit. She left the world better than she found it. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched, the causes she lifted, and the support she gave so freely.

Brother-in-law Gordon Hurley of Salisbury was a constant visitor and rock for Gerry. Other family survivors include nephew Jeff Hurley of Blacksburg, Va.; nieces Anna Holmes Hurley of New York and Elizabeth Hurley of Fosco, NC; and sister-in-law Jennifer Hurley of Naples, FL.

A gathering to celebrate the life of Gerry will be held at 3 PM Saturday (Sept. 13) in Lewis Hall at First Presbyterian Church.

Memorials may be made to Hurley Park, care of the Foundation for the Carolinas, 220 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202. Make checks payable to the Foundation for the Carolinas with “Hurley Park Fund #2524” in the memo line.

Summersett Funeral Home will be serving the Hurley family. Online condolences may be made at www.summersettfuneralhome.com.