John Gurski Jr. Obituary We are saddened to share that John Anthony Gurski, Jr (known as "Jack" or "Jackie" to many of his childhood friends and family) died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at the age of 70 from complications of late-stage heart failure. John was born in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia, enjoying a happy childhood getting into trouble with the neighborhood kids and exploring Fairmount Park. He especially liked to tell the story of how he and a group of friends once accidently set fire to the woods behind their houses. John attended Saint Josaphats for grade school, Roman Catholic High School, and Spring Garden College, majoring in electrical engineering. Born with a serious congenital heart defect, Johns childhood doctors estimated that he wouldnt survive past his teenage years as heart surgery was in its infancy at the time and extremely risky. He had already surpassed that estimate when he had his first of three open-heart surgeries in 1980 to correct the defect. He traveled to Texas to be operated on by the world-renowned heart surgeon, Dr. Denton Cooley, who was the only surgeon at the time with the ability to correct this defect in a patient of Johns age. This first-of-its-type surgery was a success and the next 40 years of Johns life were likely thanks to Dr. Cooleys expertise. During high school and college, John worked at John Wanamaker Department Store in Jenkintown and Philadelphia. Following his training as an electrical engineer, John worked for several years with Amchem Chemical Co, Robertshaw, and Ohmite in their sales department for power resisters, controllers, and other electronic components. In this career, he had the opportunity to travel the country, seeing many different cities and states and meeting many different people. When his health eventually prevented him from working the rigorous sales schedule, he settled into computer repair, mostly as a way to keep himself busy. He was a "people person" and enjoyed continuing to work with clients outside his home. He met his wife of 20 years, Barbara, horseback riding at Monastery Stables in Manayunk. As his health declined towards the end of his life, he spoke about looking forward to seeing her again after his death. We like to think that he is with her now, sharing all about what her children and grandchildren have been up to in the 17 years since she died. In his later years, John enjoyed fishing, hunting, ham radio, cooking, and spoiling his grandchildren. He was known for his excellent barbeque skills, and he always had a plate of smoked ribs, chicken, or sausages to offer to visitorsoften with ample leftovers to send home with them. We remember him fondly as someone who could fix almost anything, from cars, to electronics, to household plumbing and wiring. If something was broken, he was always the one you could call and would know what was wrong with it and how to fix it. Even in his last days, he was planning how he wanted to renovate the bathroom in his new house. John is survived by his four children, Lisa Gurski (Quay Wood), John Gurski (Kimberly Chan), Lauren Gurski, and Maria Gurski; three grandchildren, Quay Wood, Lorna Wood, and Wren Wood; two sisters, Cynthia Jones (Andrew Jones) and Judith DelSordo (her husband, Nicholas DelSordo is deceased); his beloved dog Hershey; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and long-time friends. John was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Gurski (nee Massa) and his parents John Gurski, Sr and Helen Gurski (nee Pytel). A service will be held in his honor at 10AM on Monday, August 9th at Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church at 196 North Trooper Road, Norristown, PA 19403. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Johns honor to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital https://www.stjude.org/. Services Funeral Mass Monday August 9, 2021 10:00 AM Visitation B.V.M. Church 196 North Trooper Road Norristown, PA 19403 Interment Monday August 9, 2021 11:30 AM Riverside Cemetery 200 Montgomery Ave Norristown, PA 19403