RICHARD TRAVIS GURNEY

1940 - 2019

BORN

1940

DIED

2019

RICHARD GURNEY Obituary

Name: Service for RICHARD TRAVIS GURNEY
Start: 2019-06-14T22:00:00.000Z
Location: Veterans Memorial Hall

RICHARD
TRAVIS GURNEY

Richard Travis Gurney went home to be with Jesus on June 3rd, 2019, at the age of 78. He was a life long Humboldt County resident.
Richard was born on November 27, 1940, to Travis and Grace Johnson Gurney. He served as a Private 4th Class in the US Army from 1963 to 1966, receiving medals for being a rifle and light machine gun sharpshooter, expert bayonet, and for good conduct. In 1966 he started his employment with the City of Arcata as a dispatcher and then fulfilled his goal and became a full-time police officer in 1973. He served in that role for 27 years, retiring from the Arcata Police Department in January of 1993. During the 27 years working for the city, he accomplished several goals. One being that he established his school's program where he was appropriately named "Officer Friendly." This was one of his accomplishments that he was most proud of. Retirement did not last for long as he took a money courier position with Big Oil & Tire in 1994 and fully retired in 2011.
Anyone who knew or met Richard was sure to hear his latest joke or one of his many favorite cop memories. He will definitely be remembered for his sense of humor and ability to always have a joke on hand. He enjoyed his daily crosswords and letter jumbles (with his wife's help), going to the casino with family and friends, watching family feud nightly and woodworking in his shop. One activity that he truly enjoyed was watching whatever sports his grandsons were playing; he would be there in the stands sporting his school spirit by wearing a ball cap for whatever team they were representing. He enjoyed reading (especially shopping for old books at any used book store) writing poetry, show tunes, camping on the Van Duzen River and anything John Wayne related.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Barbara, his daughter Teri Gurney Arnold, his three grandsons, Kristopher, Kory & Kameron Arnold, his brother Robert Gurney (Pat), Michael Williamson (Veronda) and his sister Michelle Fretland (Jon). He is also survived by nephews, nieces, and cousins.
Services will be held on Friday, June 14th, 2019 at the Veterans Memorial Hall located at 1425 J St, Arcata, CA 95521 at 3:00 p.m. All family and friends are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, we would request donations to be made to the American Lung Association in Richard's name online @ www.lung.org, by mailing a check to the American Lung Association, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123 or by phone at 1-800-227-2345.
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Published by Times-Standard from Jun. 11 to Jun. 12, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for RICHARD GURNEY

Sponsored by Times-Standard.

6 Entries

June 23, 2019

Sorry to hear of your loss,
I wanted to share that growing up in Arcata , and living in the Humboldt Plaza Apartments we saw much of Officer Gurney. The blessing of that was he didn't just come by on official calls, he walked through just to say hello to us children. He volunteered at attend our May Day Carnivals we held, and was an enormous laugh when he offered to be in the dunking booth.
His character of high standards, fairness and respect to all truly was a great example. Adults and children alike all had much respect for Officer Gurney, his memory and impact will surely not be forgotten.

~Leah

Hon. Ronald D Rowland Ret.

June 15, 2019

Very sorry to learn of Richards passing. It was particularly upsetting to learn of his passing after the funeral, resulting in my non attendance. Truly a special person with a persona difficult not to like. Jokes that he pulled on me personally , when I was his Sergeant , still make me chuckle . If he had a bad bone in his body I never saw it . May the sadness of his passing give his family comfort in knowing he made the world a better place and earned the respect of those who knew him.
Hon. Ronald D Rowland Ret.

Marilyn Steen

June 14, 2019

Barbara and family - So sorry to hear about Rich. It has been many years since I left APD. On the wall by my desk is a beautiful placque that reminds me of my 14+ years of service at APD with wonderful people. Rich was at the top of that list. My loving thoughts to you Barbara.

John Parrish

June 13, 2019

The memories of Gurn are numerous but my favorites were as I dispatched at HSU. Each and every Christmas that I worked graveyard, I knew I would receive a poem and inspiration from across the city via Officer Friendly. They came via the old teletype so it took some time but his artwork and words were always something special. Helped me through many a night time holiday. I'm blessed to have known him as are all of us who experienced The Gurn as I knew him.

Ted Williams

June 12, 2019

Bob, I am sad to see where you lost your brother! I extend my sympathy and condolences to you and your family. I hope every one else is doing well. I think of you a lot!.....

Pamlyn Millsap

June 11, 2019

Officer Gurney was always kind to everyone. I worked at the Arcata School District and was a community member so I had many different ways of knowing his work ethics. He went the extra mile and I sit here thinking about this man who was way ahead of his time. I don't know his family, but I am sure they are proud of his service. I know he helped many kids overcome. He was easy to talk to even about things when a kid had maybe done a crime. He looked at the whole picture and tried to steer the kids in a better direction. Thank you for your service- Hugs to all you meet in Heaven.

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