Howard E. Hurley Jr.

MARQUETTE — A man who bore an important name in Marquette history has passed away.

Howard E. Hurley, Jr., died on June 1 of natural causes at his home in downstate Trenton, just three days shy of his 98th birthday. He was the great-great-grandson of one of the pioneer families of Marquette, headed by Timothy T. and Ellen Hurley. The Hurleys, with their two children, came to the area circa 1853 with about 500 pioneers, including A.R. Harlow and Peter White, according to obituary information submitted by Howard E. Hurley Jr.’s son, Michael, who lives in downstate Wayne.

“The name has a lot of significance,” Michael Hurley told The Mining Journal.

Timothy T. Hurley III was the Marquette police chief from 1929 to 1937, with the present-day Hurley Park named in his honor.

The Rotary Club of Marquette, the Marquette Breakfast Rotary and the Marquette West Rotary Club have performed a lot of work at the Hurley Park playground, located at Adams and Mesnard streets, in recent months, including cleaning and painting the tire structure and sign.

Howard E. Hurley, Jr. was a member of the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps and an altar boy at St. Peter Cathedral. In the summer, he helped his father operate a family-owned popcorn wagon that often was parked at Front and Washington streets in Marquette.

In March 1943, Howard E. Hurley, Jr., enlisted in the Army to serve in World War II, serving in the Army Air Corps as a radio operator on a B-24. Stationed in Italy with the 455th Bombardment Group, he flew 19 combat missions.

In November 1943, he married Virginia Cote, and following his discharge, the couple, along with Michael, moved to the Detroit area where he worked for the Wayne County court system as a court clerk and administrator, retiring in 1980.

According to his obituary, Howard E. Hurley, Jr., enjoyed visiting the area, including the site of Pioneer Cemetery, which was the original Catholic cemetery in Marquette and situated on land donated to Bishop Baraga by Hurley’s great-great-grandfather Timothy.

Michael Hurley’s wife Judith has performed a lot of genealogy on both sides of the family, he said.

“She knows a tremendous amount of information on the Hurley family,” he said.

Judith Hurley said Timothy Hurley is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, having originally been buried at Pioneer Cemetery. In fact, she noted a large group of Hurley family members is buried near the Holy Cross Cemetery office.

“There’s an obelisk right there,” Michael Hurley said. “You can’t miss it.”

The old Pioneer Cemetery recently was renovated, and includes stations of the cross, a monument, benches and trails winding through the woods.

Michael Hurley said Judith was involved in the cemetery’s rebirth, with a judge denying a Knights of Columbus lodge being built at the site. His wife then was responsible for a sign being installed to indicate the cemetery’s location.

The Hurleys visited the cemetery just before COVID-19 and noticed the sign was missing, but construction was under way. They then learned about the renovation.

“We haven’t been up there since that was done because of the pandemic, but thanks to her, that all got started,” he said.

Michael Hurley said his sister, Maureen Witkowski, now owns the family cottage situated along Lake Independence in Big Bay, with the interior having been renovated.

However, he noted that the cottage still is considered the “Hurley camp.”

“We get up there at least once a year,” Michael Hurley said.

Howard E. Hurley, Jr.’s funeral Mass of Resurrection was at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Trenton. Burial was to be at Great Lakes National Cemetery in downstate Holly.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.