Kevin Gurley

To know Kevin, was to love Kevin.  He never met a stranger, not even as a young boy.  He was fearless, courageous, honest, dependable, loyal, respectful, and one of the most hilarious people you would ever have the privilege of meeting.  He was the life of the party, a mentor to many, a role model, wise beyond his years, and a valuable member of the Armuchee community.  He was highly respected in the construction industry and worked parallel to many other well-known businessmen. 

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Kevin's personality was magnetic, drawing people near him wherever he went.  His favorite thing to say when leaving a gathering or when someone else was departing was, “Glad you got to see me.”  That quote was printed on the back of hundreds of shirts and koozies in his memory after he passed.  Everyone wanted a piece of Kevin. His memory prompted over $15k in sales of merchandise with his company logo, name, and quote, and these proceeds helped a family in need. Even from beyond the grave, Kevin continues to help others through the Kevin Gurley Memorial Scholarship Foundation.  His mission in life was to help others in any way he could.

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But what made Kevin, “Kevin”? His parents instilled values in him at a very young age that stuck with him throughout his life.  His mom took him to church on Sundays, teaching him about faith, integrity, and good morals.  His dad owned Gurley Construction, which is where Kevin was exposed to heavy machinery and dirt work. Kevin operated a boom truck and assisted his dad in building his shop at the age of 6, was driving heavy equipment by age 7, and by the time he was 8 he was going to work on a daily basis in the summer. Wherever his dad was, there was Kevin, his little shadow. He never wanted a hand-out, not even when it came time to buy his first truck.  He worked every summer from the time he was 8, saving up his money to buy his first brand new truck when he was 16. 

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The years in between, Kevin labored in the shop to build his own hot rod truck, famously known as “The Big Yellow Bastard”.  He was 9 years old when he got the truck body from what was once his grandpa's truck.  He first learned how to weld and cut rust from the body, pieced together body parts, learned how to paint, and proudly built that truck himself with his dad’s guidance. He placed his truck in the Daytona Turkey Run car show and often drove it around town, to school, or hauled it to NASCAR races.

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Kevin’s other passion was motorcycles.  He began racing dirt bikes at the age of 10.  He learned how to rebuild motors on his dirt bike, then taught what he knew to his friends and offered to work on theirs as well.  He loved to share his knowledge of mechanics with his friends, and his expertise with motors and body work didn’t go unnoticed. As he became more advanced in his trade, people would send their vehicles to him for complete restoration or motor work, paying him for his time and talent.  He learned early-on how to work on tractors and dump trucks, giving him a leg-up when he started his construction company and purchased equipment or when they needed repairs.

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       Kevin was known to be a “jack of all trades”, but above all else he was known for being a comedian.  He was never short on come-backs or jokes, he could talk himself out of any trouble as a kid, and he was impossible to embarrass!  When Kevin was around, you KNEW it was about to be a good time.  He would make you laugh until your belly hurt and do the unexpected or whatever it took to get a giggle out of someone, it just came naturally.

 

       Kevin lived life to the fullest and treated others with humility.  He never put himself above anyone else and would give the shirt off his back.  Even if he felt wronged by someone, he believed in second chances.  That’s the Kevin I knew, and the Kevin that taught me so many lessons in his short life which will stick with me for the rest of mine.

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Submitted by Amanda Kilgore, sister of Kevin