Springfield town leader Don Gurney dies at 86

Don Gurney did a lot for his hometown of Springfield, whether it was plowing snow, trying to create jobs or making sure the town’s annual Alumni Parade was accompanied by calliope music.


http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20151020/NEWS02/151029948

Donald lrvine Gurney Sr. 86, passed away peacefully Saturday, October 17, 2015, surrounded by his family at Baystate Medical Center.

He was born August 15, 1929, in Springfield, Vermont, the son of John G. Gurney and Lillian (McDonnell) Gurney. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1948 and then went into the Air Force (1948-52) stationed in Mississippi. On June 19, 1954, he married Arlene (McAllister).

He worked for Bishop Farms in 1953, and then went to work for IBM from 1954-57. In April of 1957, he and his brother, Gordon (Sam), started Gurney Brothers Construction Inc. Don remained working at Gurney Brothers well past his retirement and was still working on few projects up until the time of his death.

Don Gurney was very community-oriented and proud of his hometown Springfield, Vermont. He was active in Rotary and a member of the Boy Scouts of America, serving on their Executive Board of Directors. He was a co-founder and the first president of the SHS booster club; he helped found the Vermont chapter of the Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA) and served as its president. He served for 13 years on the Springfield School Board and served for 3 years as a town selectman. He was the founder of the Springfield Regional Development Corporation (SRDC) and was the first recipient of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, “Citizen of the Year.” He served on the Springfield Hospital Board. He was inducted into the 2013 Springfield Alumni Association Hall of Fame.

Don is survived by Arlene, his wife of 61 years; and their children Donald I. Gurney Jr. and his wife, Samantha, of North Springfield; his children Francesca Arnoldy (John Paul Arnoldy), Donald Gurney III and Ty Albert; Sharon Gurney Kingsley of Whitehall, NY, her children, Kenneth Helberg (Kelly Helburg), Kathleen Cate (Austin Cate), Richard Kingsley III and Janel Kingsley; Daniel A. Gurney and his fiancé, Lori Muse of Perkinsville, VT; his children, Hollie Conway (John Conway), Erica Murphy (Thomas Murphy), Derek Gurney and Evan & Jacob Muse; Dale G. Gurney and his partner, Gene Limlaw of Ocala, FL.; Douglas C. Gurney and his wife, Lori, of Springfield, VT, and their children Leanne Alexander (Justin Alexander) and Jillian Gurney; Bradley J. Gurney and his wife, Deborah of Weathers field, VT and their children, Michael, Christopher, Sarah and Lillian. 15 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, former daughter-in-law Veronica Todorovich and former son-in-law Wayne Helberg. Don is predeceased by his parents, John and Lillian, daughter-in-law, Nancy Hays Gurney, and son-in-law, Richard Kingsley Jr. Don & his siblings include (in order): Barbara, Priscilla (deceased), Donald, Joy, Gordon, Carolyn, Nancy, Laura, Harriet, David (deceased) and John.

Calling hours will be Friday, October 23 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Davis Memorial Chapel on Summer Street in Springfield, VT. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 24th at 3 p.m. at the North Springfield Baptist Church on Main Street in North Springfield, VT, with burial immediately following at the Plains Road Cemetery in Perkinsville, VT. Please join us for a time of sharing memories and light refreshments held at the Crown Point Country Club on Weathersfield Center Road in Springfield, VT starting at 4:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Springfield Hospital, PO Box 2003, Springfield, VT 05156 in memory of Donald I. Gurney Sr.

Published October 20, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Springfield town leader Don Gurney dies at 86 By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Don Gurney did a lot for his hometown of Springfield, whether it was plowing snow, trying to create jobs or making sure the town’s annual Alumni Parade was accompanied by calliope music. Gurney, 86, the co-founder of Gurney Brothers Construction, and a longtime cornerstone of the community, died early Saturday at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., after being stricken while out walking near his home in North Springfield several days earlier. Gurney served more than a decade on the Springfield School Board, served a term on the Springfield Select Board and worked behind the scenes on everything from economic development to negotiating with Gov. Howard Dean over the state prison, improving the drainage on the school’s ball fields to having a sturdy platform for the town’s 250th birthday celebration. “Three things come to mind that were important to Don Gurney,” said Rep. Robert Forguites, D-Springfield, the town’s retired town manager. “Family, friends and community. He and Arlene had a lot of family, he had a lot of friends and community? He had a strong feeling he had to do whatever he could for his community.” Gurney was born in Springfield in 1929, part of a large family. He founded Gurney Brothers Construction Inc., with his brother Gordon “Sam” Gurney, after a stint in the Air Force and working for IBM. Today, three of Don Gurney’s sons, Doug, Dan and Brad, run the business, which does everything that needs heavy earth-moving equipment, whether it is rebuilding state roads after Tropical Storm Irene or building a pond for someone’s home. Gurney was the moving force and founder of Springfield Regional Development Corp., in 1992, after the local economy was decimated by the collapse of the machine tool industry in the 1980s, and the sudden demise of Idlenot Farm Dairy in North Springfield. Springfield, once one of the most prosperous towns in the state, lost thousands of well-paying jobs in a short number of years. Gurney went to Montpelier and gave state officials his word that he could raise the local money to match state funds to pay for a local development director. He talked Elbert “Al” Moulton, out of semi-retirement and who ran a consulting business with his daughter Patricia. The Moultons worked to try and revitalize the Springfield regional economy. Pat Moulton, the current secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, said it was a sad day for Springfield and the state. “He had a big heart,” she said. “Don was clearly the impetus, he was the motivator. He led the charge,” she said of the creation of the regional development group. Gurney convinced her father, then doing business as Moulton Consultants, to work on behalf of Springfield. They became fast friends, she said. “Every community needs a Don Gurney,” Moulton said. “Towns that have a Don Gurney, those people who are engaged with their community, those are the ones that succeed. He understood the importance of giving back,” she said. “It was all about giving back.” Gurney gave back to Springfield, in large and small ways, people interviewed Monday said. Gurney served on the Springfield School Board for 13 years in the 1980s and 1990s. According to Steve Hier, the school’s director of fiscal services, Gurney was responsible for getting Park Street School its first elevators, making the building handicapped accessible for the first time. Gurney cared deeply about children, Hier said, and had his firm do many things for free for the school’s playing fields and athletic fields. The school district returned the favor and named Gurney Field, the school’s soccer field at Springfield High School, in his honor, Hier said. “He worked on a lot of projects,” Hier said. “Even when he wasn’t on the school board, he was always willing to step forward with special projects. His business donated a lot of work and in-kind services over the years.” Gurney volunteered for the Boy Scouts and served on the state board; he served on the board of the Springfield Hospital. He was the co-founder of the Springfield High School Booster Club, and was the first recipient of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. He was inducted in the Springfield Alumni Association Hall of Fame two years ago. Bob Flint, the executive director of Springfield Regional Development Corp., said when he was hired in 2005, Gurney was getting off the board. “He was always, always, always wanting to help,” he said. He said Gurney and Al Moulton were responsible for the establishment of The Robert Jones Center and the Nortrax buildings on Clinton Street, replacing the dilapidated Springfield Terminal Railway with the a new building and refurbishing the Jones Center. “In his own quiet and persuasive way, he got things done,” Flint said. “Don and his family have always lent a hand and have gone the extra mile,” he said. Forguites said Gurney was on the Select Board that hired him back in 1998, and Gurney would often call him up in the morning and invite him out to lunch to discuss town affairs. It was always at the Riverside Restaurant in Springfield. Gurney and his wife of 61 years, Arlene, would often be in their back booth, always sitting side by side. “They never sat across from each other,” Forguites said. Gurney was always well dressed, Forguites said, whether it was his trademark plaid or chambray shirt or suit and tie. “He was always spic and span, well-fitted and well dressed,” he said. Gurney bought the calliope from a local bank solely for the annual Alumni Parade, Forguites said. At the Springfield Rotary Club, there was the Gurney Table, and people were expected to wear plaid shirts or be fined, Forguites said. Last Wednesday, Forguites said he needed to talk to Gurney about the upcoming Rotary Penny Sale and he went to Riverside. The bright red pickup with the distinctive DIG (Gurney’s initials) license plate was out front. “I hope when they take him to the cemetery, I think it really would be appropriate to take him in the red pickup,” Forguites said.