HOWARD LEE GURLEY May 14, 2026

Howard Lee Gurley passed away peacefully from heart disease on May 14, 2026, in Harlingen, Texas, with his mother and father by his side. He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1967 and grew up in both Albuquerque and Los Alamos.

Lee was a creative and artistic person. After high school, he attended the Colorado Institute of Art and began his career as a graphic artist in New York City, where he lived and worked for over 20 years. He later returned to New Mexico and eventually moved to Texas to help care for his mother.

Lee was a quiet man who rarely spoke much about his life or his work, but he was deeply devoted to his family and greatly loved by them.

He is survived by his mother, Suzanna Curtis Woodard of Harlingen, Texas; his father, Arlin M. Gurley and wife Leslie of Las Cruces, New Mexico; and his daughters, Margaret (“Maggie”) Gurley, Charlotte Gurley, and Eliza Gurley, all of New York. He is also survived by his brother, Michael Gurley of Los Alamos, New Mexico; his stepsister, Crystal Gurley of Bosque Farms, New Mexico; along with four nieces and two nephews.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Arlin H. Gurley; his stepfather, Walter Woodard; and his stepbrother, Ken Woodard.