Jonathan William Gurley, of Winston Salem, NC, passed away on Mother’s Day, May 14, 2023 from injuries he sustained in an ATV accident in Mechanicsville, Va. He is survived by his heartbroken parents, Emily and Tom Gurley of Mechanicsville; his brothers, Chris Gurley (Larissa) of Farmville and Joey Gurley of Mechanicsville; his grandmother, Angie Coppedge of Farmville, as well as a large number of aunts, uncles, cousins, a multitude of friends and teammates and his precious kitty, Nala.
Jon was born in Mechanicsville, VA on August 30, 1982. He graduated with honors from Lee Davis High School. He attended NASCAR Technical Institute where he learned how to build race cars, followed by Pit School where he learned to be on a Pit Crew as a Rear Tire Changer. Jon loved racing and everything involved with it. He started out as a changer at KHI, a NASCAR Truck team, owned by Kevin Harvick. He worked on a number of teams through the years, travelling the country to races, both as a changer and a fabricator. He worked for a number of years for Richard Childress Racing and then he finally found his happy place back with the truck series a few years ago, as a fabricator for Halmar-Friesen Race team. At the time of his death, he was happier than he had ever been.
Jon loved anything that had to do with the outdoors, including wake surfing, snowboarding, hunting, fishing, skeet shooting, softball, hiking and camping. He was very active in Boy Scouts and obtained the rank of Eagle Scout when he was 18. He adored his family, especially his two brothers. He took his role of big brother very seriously. He also loved his friends and teammates with a passion, and discovered several years ago that he was a cat person when Nala chose him to be her guy. He will be missed by so very many people.
Visitation will be on Monday, May 22, 2023, from 2-4 and from 6-8 at Bennett Funeral Home in Mechanicsville. The service will be held on Tuesday, May 23 at 11:00 at Bennett’s, followed by a Celebration of Jon’s Life at the East Hanover Volunteer Rescue Squad Building in Mechanicsville. If you are not able to attend the service, it can be viewed via live stream at https://www.reellyfeproductions.com/watch-live.
In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Jon’s name to the Hanover Humane Society or the East Hanover Volunteer Rescue Squad.
UPDATE: Stewart Friesen released a statement regarding the passing of Gurley on Tuesday:
With extremely heavy hearts we announce the loss of our brother and teammate, Jon Gurley.
Jon was a true warrior here at HFR he leaves a huge void in our team.
We will march on and keep fighting as that is what he would want us to do, and we will do so in his honor.
We dedicate the remainder of this season to Jon and we are going to give it everything we’ve got for Jon and his family.
With extremely heavy hearts we announce the loss of our brother and teamate, Jon Gurley.
Jon was a true warrior here at HFR he leaves a huge void in our team.
We will march on and keep fighting as that is what he would want us to do, and we will do so in his honor.
We… pic.twitter.com/CQnOxml3Xu
— Stewart Friesen (@StewartFriesen) May 16, 2023
Original post: According to the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, at around 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 13, deputies responded to the 9100 block of New Worsham’s Way for a report of a crash involving an ATV.
It was determined that a 2022 Yamaha Kodiak 700 ATV had been heading south on New Worsham’s Way when it left the roadway after reaching a curve. The driver, 40-year-old Jonathan William Gurley of the Mechanicsville area, was ejected from the vehicle.
Gurley was taken to VCU Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators are still working to determine the circumstances which led up to the crash.
— WRIC —
Gurley, a well-known and respected fabricator, was working at Halmar Friesen Racing at the time of his death.