Jeanne A. Hurley, longtime resident of Santa Clara, passed away with the love of her family surrounding her on January 21 at the age of 87. Jeanne was preceded in death by her husband, Ronald Hurley, her daughter, Eileen Sorensen and her parents Chesney Ann Gottschalk. She is survived by her brother Chet Gottschalk, her children: Tom Hurley, Kathy (Galen) James, Maureen (Dale) Barney, Coleen (Mike Bangs) Hurley as well as her niece Erika, nephew Edward and her grandchildren Jon, Tommy, Brian and Lindsay. She was born in Brookings SD. She attended Purdue University, leaving at the age of 19 with a friend during WWII to work at an architecture studio designing airplane parts to support the war effort. After the end of WWII, Jeanne returned to Brookings to attend South Dakota State College (now South Dakota State University). At SDSU, she joined Chi Omega Sorority and at a fraternity dance, met the dashing Ronald Hurley, a Phi Delta Theta. They were married in 1949 and Jeanne graduated with a General Science degree specializing in Aeronautical Engineering. Jeanne and Ron stayed in South Dakota while Ron finished law school. They moved to Minnesota and eventually, Jeanne and Ron (along with their 2 children) ventured out of the cold of the mid-west and moved to Los Angeles, where they had 3 more children. Jeanne was active at her children's school as well as mastering bridge and golf. In 1973, Jeanne, Ron and their younger children moved to Santa Clara, which became home to Jeanne and Ron for the rest of their lives. Jeanne worked at the DMV and for the State of California Employment Development Department until her retirement in 1988. Throughout their lives, Jeanne and Ron traveled the globe to see the wonders of the world. They traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, the Americas and Canada, but her favorite trips were to Egypt, the Amazon and her last trip with her children and her brother to Hawaii in 2011. Jeanne was a parishioner at St. Justin's, where she could be found in the back pew each Sunday. Family was everything to Jeanne and she exemplified this in her undying love, support and devotion to those close to her. She had a brilliant mind, a generous spirit, a joyous sense of humor and thoughtful disposition. Jeanne will be remembered with love and laughter by her family, friends and anyone who knew her, albeit briefly. A rosary will be held at Lima Family Funeral Home on Thursday January 31 at 6:00 pm, with visitation from 4-6 pm. Her funeral will be held on Friday February 1 at 10:00 am at St. Justin's Church on Homestead Road in Santa Clara.
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