John Lurvey

"Loving Husband, Father, Grandfather and Loyal Friend"

Maggie Valley, John Brandon "Walking Stick Eagle" Lurvey, 75, passed away on Thursday, August 17, 2017 at the Homestead.

John was born on December 2, 1941 of County Kerry Ireland. He was the son of the late Perley Edward and Mary Griffin Lurvey. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by a sister, Helen Lurvey. John entered law enforcement in 1970 by joining the Miami-Dade Police Department where he was assigned to the Crime Scene Section/Bomb Squad. In 1971, John invented the "remote bomb gaffe" which was picked up and published by the FBI Bomb Data Center.

In 1978, John co-authored along with colleague J. I. Galan "Pocket/Guide for Crime Scene Investigators" which was published by the American Police Academy. John retired honorably from MDPD in April, 1996 and in 1997 moved to Maggie Valley and beautiful Haywood County.

John dedicated his life to his family, friends and community. He was a truly humble man. John had a small business of out of print and rare books. He was an avid gun and knife collector and loved his Harley Davidson motorcycle, as well as his beloved animals.

John is survived by his wife of 41 years, Wanda M. Lurvey; a daughter, Deborah Ann Lurvey, of Port Saint Lucie, Florida; son Daniel Allen Lurvey, and his wife, Nirmala, of Miami, Florida; sister-in-law, Russlyn "Rusty" Nyborg, of Charlotte; "special daughters" Karen Dell, and her husband, Devin, of Winston Salem and Teresa Horgan, of Coventry, England; "special son" Brendan McGovern, and wife, Edel, of Coventry England; four grandchildren, Danielle Janicki, Dana Greene, Kayla Lurvey and Amirah Lurvey; three great-grandchildren; and extended family of close friends.

A celebration of life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 in the Waynesville chapel of Wells Funeral Home with Chaplain Michael Revord and Reverend Erma M. Bond officiating. The family will receive friends from 11:00 a.m. prior to the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers John would want a donation to the John B. Lurvey "recliner project" to benefit the Homestead Hospice Center. To donate please visit https://gofundme.com/john-lurvey-homestead-recliner-fund.

Wells Funeral Homes & Cremation Services of Waynesville is in charge of arrangements. An on-line memorial register is available at "Obituaries" at "www.wellsfuneralhome.com"

Previous Events

Memorial Contribution