Gayle Marie Hurley

Gayle Marie Hurley, 76, of Beaumont, died Thursday, July 24, 2025. A native of Port Arthur, she was born on April 9, 1949, to Harry and Joyce Girouard (née Courville).  She is preceded in death by her parents; twin brother, Dale Girouard; sister, Gisele Dailey; and beloved husband, Jesse Howard Hurley.

Gayle married Jesse on January 22, 1968. The two were best friends and shared forty-five years of marriage filled with adventure. In their younger years, they went dancing on Saturday nights and spent Sundays at the beach with family and friends. In later years, they enjoyed riding motorcycles, weekends at their lake house, traveling, and rocking the afternoon away on their porch swing. Gayle and Jesse had two children, Robert Shawn Hurley and Jessica Gayle Legato, as well as five grandchildren, Emily and Sophie Hurley, and Josie, Joseph, and Jill Legato.

Gayle was an executive assistant to several plant managers at ExxonMobil for thirty years. She was a highly valued, dedicated employee who excelled in her responsibilities and was known as a powerhouse who could make things happen when needed. With her warm and welcoming nature, she built many long-term co-worker relationships lasting well into her retirement years.

Gayle had a fun-loving, playful personality. She was quick to join in her grandchildren’s shenanigans, whether it be making up a secret, gibberish language to communicate or taking them to the local furniture store to play hide-and-seek, a game she happily played alongside them.

Her five grandchildren spent many summer sleepovers at Mebee and PawPaw’s house, where the rulebook was empty and the snack drawer was full. They gathered for hours around the kitchen island playing board games together, eating pizza and donuts, and sometimes baking cakes. One such cake ended up on the ground, destroyed in its cake dish. Gayle promptly stuck it in the fridge, coining it a “crash cake” that was still plenty good to eat despite its appearance. No cake since then has ever lived up to a crash cake, but it serves as a reminder of Gayle’s happy-go-lucky attitude and a lesson on making the best of what you have.

Her grandkids shared quiet, peaceful times with their grandmother too. Gayle was an avid quilter; she made sure to set up a table in her sewing room so they could color while she worked on her latest project. When they were old enough, she began teaching them how to sew as well. They will always remember the room as one filled with colors, patterns, giggles, and the rhythmic thumps of their Mebee’s sewing machine.

Gayle was an award-winning quilter and over the years, made over a hundred quilts, completing projects at home with her dear friend, Shelly Alaniz, who was in Gayle’s sewing room weekly. The memory of them sewing, chatting, and laughing together lives on. She also enjoyed attending quilting retreats with her many friends and greatly enjoyed giving away her quilts to family, friends, and anyone who wanted one. She was a proud long-time member of the Golden Triangle Quilt Guild and Happy Scrappers Bee.

While Alzheimer’s took so much of her away, amazingly her happy, playful spirit lived on. Until the very end, she would show her family glimpses of that playful spirit, doing her best to get a giggle any chance she could. Gayle will be remembered for her unending smile, her playful spirit, and warmth she shared with everyone she met.

Gayle is survived by her son, Robert Shawn Hurley and his wife, Shana, of Fannett; her daughter, Jessica Legato and her husband, Donald, of Beaumont; her grandchildren, Emily and Sophie Hurley, and Josie, Joseph, and Jill Legato; her brother, James Girouard of Wichita Falls; her close sister-in-law, Sherry Guidry of Beaumont; and nephew, Dusty Bergeron of Nederland; and many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 6055 South Loop East, Houston, Texas 77087.

A gathering of Mrs. Hurley’s family and friends will begin 4:00 p.m. with a Rosary recited at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, July 31, 2025, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. Her cremation arrangements were handled through Broussard’s Crematorium.