May 17, 2024, 89, Goldsboro —
George Morris Gurley passed away on May 17, 2024, after being surrounded by beloved friends and family.
Morris was born in Goldsboro, NC on June 17, 1934. He attended Goldsboro High School and received his BA from Duke University with summa cum laude and phi beta kappa honors. After service in the US Army, he attended Harvard Law School. He was in the banking and investment field in New York City with Chemical/Chase Bank from 1962 to 1987, heading the Personal Trust Department at the time of his retirement in 1987.
Morris was a kind and generous man who devoted the later years of his life to service. In 1985, he co-founded the National Center for Victims of Crime which works to aid and protect the rights of victims of violent crime. From 1984 to 2000, he was Chairman of the Distribution Committee of the Annie Laurie Aitken Charitable Trust which supported many of the major institutions in New York City. In 1986, he co-founded the Brain Trauma Foundation/Institute of Neurosciences, specializing in neurological research and treatment.
He sat on numerous Boards of Directors including the Metropolitan Opera, the Roosevelt Institute, and the Lay Advisory Board of the New York Board of Rabbis. He was involved in the formation of the Commission of Religious Leaders of the city of New York in 1999. He was an active lay member of St Paul & St Andrew United Methodist Church in NYC and served as the president on the board of directors of the New York City Council of Churches.
He was preceded in death by his dear parents Sadye Reid Morris Gurley and Charles Harvey Gurley of Goldsboro and by his cherished brothers and sister: Charles Harvey Gurley, Jr, of Goldsboro, Charles Harrelson Gurley of Clayton, NC, and Harriet Gurley Smith of Shreveport, LA.
Left to cherish his memory are his longtime friend Jerry Zwetschkenbaum of New York, NY; his sister-in-law Kathy Peedin Gurley of Clayton, NC; his nephews Alan English Smith of Shreveport, LA and Charles Harrelson Gurley, Jr of Newport, NC; his nieces Margaret Carol Gurley of Wilson, NC and Susan Reid Smith Erba of Shreveport, LA. In addition, are his beloved great-nephews and nieces: Ben Finch Massey III of Maine, Brandon Clay Massey of NC, Paul Francis Erba of LA, David MORRIS Erba of NY, Charles Harrelson Gurley III of NC, Samantha Ann Smith of CA, and Jacob Reid Smith of TX.
The family would like to thank Bayada Home Health’s wonderful caregivers during the last few months of his life, particularly Tenisha Donegan, Millicent Stewart, and Deb Peters.
The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to St Paul & St Andrew United Methodist Church in NYC (https://stpaulandstandrew.org/give/) or the National Center for Victims of Crime (https://victimsofcrime.org/donate/) in Morris Gurley’s name.
