Michael “Mike” Allen Gurney, Sr. was born at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, California, on August 16,1953, to parents Myron Delbert “Del” Gurney, Jr. and Joan Alberta Armstrong Gurney.

At age 72, Mike died of sepsis just as the country he loved and served turned 250 years old, July 4, 2026, at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, WA, his wife, Susan, at his side

.Mike’s growing-up years in San Diego, CA and Bremerton, WA–during the time his dad was still in the Navy–were often difficult, especially for a boy with crossed eyes needing surgery, and who had undiagnosed learning disabilities including dyslexia and ADHD. Mike spent the best parts of that time living with his Grandma and Grandpa Gurney on their ranch inland from Coquille, Oregon, where he worked hard haying, milking cows, and gardening. As he grew older Mike helped his Grandpa build fences and tinkered on farm equipment.

In December 1971 Mike married Wilda Jean Kelly, and the two of them headed to Guam where he was stationed at the U.S. Naval Magazine for just under three years. After returning to the States Mike spent another three years in the Naval Reserve. Later on he joined and served in the Oregon Army National Guard for nearly 14 years.

Mike's two sons were born fairly close together in the late 1970s, Michael Allen Gurney, Jr., and Mark Allen Gurney. To provide for his young family, Mike worked several jobs, including buffet cook, apartment maintenance, and carpentry work while attending and completing Automotive and Diesel Mechanic courses at the local community college. Mike then worked for years in a series of diesel truck shops developing special expertise in wiring, refrigeration and air conditioning. He also received his Master Mechanic certification, of which he was extremely proud.After his divorce from Wilda in 1988, Mike attended church in Oregon City, OR, with his dad, Del, and step-mom, Shari. The church pianist, Susan Linda Simons, caught Mike's eye and they were soon married at the Oregon City Church of God on March 18,1989.Mike and Sue made their home in southeast Portland, where Mike's big white dog, Moose, joined them. The couple didn't really see much of each other as Mike worked as a diesel truck mechanic on swing shift, and was gone two weekends a month (and two weeks in the summer) with the Oregon Army National Guard where he was a gunnery sergeant…while Sue worked various daytime shifts as a daycare preschool teacher. Michael and Mark visited on occasional weekends.When Mike and Sue moved to a house in Oregon City in the 1990’s, Michael decided he wanted to live with them for the two years he took to complete high school. Soon after, Michael became the fourth generation of Gurney men to join the Navy.By Mike and Sue's third anniversary, Mike's kidneys had completely failed, due to a service–connected cause. Mike began five years of hemodialysis, prior to receiving a cadaver kidney transplant on January 14, 1997, which functioned well the rest of his life…with one slight glitch: early on Mike became very ill from histoplasmosis caught from the kidney which necessitated a six month anti-fungal treatment.Though the transplant gave Mike a new lease on life and a much longer than anticipated life span, sadly the anti-rejection drugs he had to take, over time caused him to develop diabetes, severe neuropathy in all his limbs, made him susceptible to developing skin cancers and vulnerable to sepsis.During their marriage Mike and Sue enjoyed camping in Mike's camper at campgrounds along the coasts of Oregon and Washington, especially where there were lighthouses and/or old military forts. Later they camped in a series of two used motorhomes.Mike enjoyed singing in church choirs and was deeply involved in several churches, including the Oregon City Church of God,Hilltop Church of God in Oregon City, Sycamore Community Church in Milwaukie, OR, and Montesano Presbyterian Church in Montesano, WA.In the early 2000s, Mike and Sue took on parenthood again when they opened their home and their hearts to their eight year old step-niece, Camille Rose, under the Oregon State foster-adopt program. Within two years, the three of them officially became the Gurney family. Highlights of their time together were camping trips to Beverly Beach in Oregon, a RV trip around the Olympic Peninsula and a family trip to Disneyland. Mike supervised Camille in her high school senior project of removing the engine from an old VW Beetle, going through the engine and putting it back together.When he was still able, Mike enjoyed working in his yard, growing beautiful roses, killing moles!, helping others by working on their vehicles, playing video games and–at his last rehab–tenaciously putting together jigsaw puzzles with hands that had totally lost feeling. Mike also enjoyed watching wildlife films, especially ones about monkeys/primates.Mike always loved a good joke, memorizing the better ones and sharing them with everyone he met, including strangers in VA clinic waiting rooms, and others he cornered in the aisles at stores!Dogs were always a special love of Mike's, from his Grandpa Gurney's border collies, Freckles and Frisky, to his family's poodle, Sammy, and to his own series of dogs: Moose, Shiner, Charlie, and Bella. Mike had a special way with cats, too, befriending even those who weren't comfortable around most people.As time went on, Mike was plagued with many major health problems, many causing severe pain, and/or sepsis (infection in the bloodstream). Falls became frequent due to balance issues and neuropathy. He lost a toe, part of a finger and his right leg to amputation due to severe infections. Mike spent time in numerous hospitals, rehabs and care centers and in the end wasn't able to be back in his own home in over a year. A special thanks goes to the caring fellow patients, therapists, counselors, nurses, aides, staff and volunteers at Mike's last rehab, Olympia Transitional Care and Rehabilitation, who tried so very hard to make life bearable and positive for him.By the time of his final hospitalization Mike had been treated so many times for sepsis, that antibiotics were no longer effective. At that point, it was decided to let Mike die peacefully and without pain. His daughter, Camille, son-in-law, Theo Squires, and their baby girl, Juniper Lee, got to share their love and memories with Mike over a video phone call from their home in Uppsala, Sweden.In spite of all he suffered in life, Mike kept fighting on–never giving up. Mike was always known for his problem-solving skills, his creative thinking, and his desire to ”fix things”. Even just before Mike's death eBay was his “go-to place” for finding solutions to problems he encountered at the rehab, such as how to pick up puzzle pieces off the floor from a wheelchair or for getting useful gifts for loved ones.Mike was preceded in death by his father, Del, step-mother, Shari, ex-wife, Wilda; a step-niece, Heidi; a grandson, Oliver Squires, and many, many others too numerous to list.Mike is survived by his wife Susan and their trusted housemate of eight years, Jenna Calvin, at the family home in Montesano, WA; the Squires' family of Uppsala, Sweden; his sister Dee of Kansas, sister Cora of Texas, and his step-brother, Woodrow “Woody” Gurney of Oregon; his sons Michael and Mark and their families. Mike is also survived by his sisters-in-law who faithfully visited him in hospitals and rehabs over the last couple of years: Maralee Murray of Tumwater, WA, and Becky Wright of McCleary, WA and their husbands, and his niece, Brenda Murray of Olympia, WA. A memorial service is tentatively planned for some time in January 2027, probably at the Montesano Presbyterian Church. When the Squires’ family of Sweden know when they will be in Montesano in January, a date and time for the service will be set. Later in the year watch The (Aberdeen,WA) Daily World for more information.Cremation and other arrangements are being handled by the Harrison Family Mortuary of Aberdeen and Montesano.