Dennis “Doc Savage” Hurley, a passionate bicyclist and a loving family man, transitioned into the afterlife at age 86 on April 5, 2024.
Known to many as Denny, he was set upon this stage on Nov. 20, 1937, in Ryan, Iowa, to Francis and Lucille Chambers Hurley.
After a few jobs, Denny settled into a career as a real estate appraiser, assessing mostly commercial and industrial properties. He worked for Vanguard Appraisals in Cedar Rapids for 33 years.
He met his loving wife, Shirley, while out dancing several decades ago. Even though she initially thought he was obnoxious, the pair were married on Oct. 12, 1957, and were married for more than 66 years. They didn’t dance much, but they could triple time with the best with their form of the jitterbug.
Dennis and Shirley resided in the “Painted Lady,” a beautiful Victorian home in Perry, for 34 years, hosting dozens of holiday gatherings while their children and grandkids played basketball in the driveway. The house was also known as the place to go on Halloween, where popcorn balls were handed out to 400 to 500 kids and parents every year.
They moved to Des Moines in 2004, living in Beaverdale for nearly 20 years.
At 60 years old, Dennis played golf in England, came home and never played again. . . . It has remained a family mystery ever since. Did something happen over there?
Dennis played organized basketball until the age of 66, winning several gold medals while playing senior ball. He loved playing games on his backyard court, always holding homecourt advantage.
In 1973 he decided to try his hand at detasseling corn. In the beginning, it was a small crew with just family members, but then it grew and for the next 25 years — with help from Shirley, her sister, Margie Pope, and his sons Scott and Jim — they ran large crews out of Coon Rapids, Ottumwa and even one year in Kansas.
If you knew Dennis, he was always ready to insert a bit of sarcasm and a wisecrack, but he also had a softer side. He volunteered at the St. Mary’s Food Pantry on 18th and East Grand in Des Moines for 20 years after he retired, a block from where he grew up.
An old neighborhood buddy would pick him up at 8 a.m., and they’d go to the local Hy-Vee, load up with yesterday’s bakery items and take them to the pantry. They’d work until 12:30 and then four of them would go to lunch. When his son Craig retired, he joined Dennis at the pantry. He also helped cook breakfast for the Moulton School kids until they finally shut it down.
Denny went to school at St. Peter’s, which was only two blocks from the food pantry. His class was small, with 10 girls and 11 boys. In 1999 he got seven of the boys together for breakfast once a month. The group slowly dwindled to the three amigos until their fireman friend passed, leaving only two at the table, Dennis and his food pantry buddy Jim Shea.
After grade school, he attended Dowling High School when it was an all-boys school, graduating with the Class of 1956. Up until a month ago, he was still getting together with his some of his Dowling buddies for breakfast once a month.
He always looked forward to inviting several friends and relatives over for a backyard fire, hot dogs and cigars. During the warm summer months, he’d make malts, sundaes or occasionally banana splits for dessert. You could always find Dennis sitting in his swivel chair, smoking his social cigar and feeding the fire.
Though he went skydiving only once, it was something he was able to cross off his bucket list.
Dennis was notorious for connecting specific words with some of his favorite songs. Shirley would say a word or two, and it would remind him of a part of a song, and he would sing it, which would happen quite often.
Dennis and Jim Walstrom were the co-founders of BRR, the annual Bike Ride to Rippey, a yearly 24-mile trek on the first Saturday in February. The event started on Feb. 6, 1978, when the pair wanted to host the “coldest day of the year bike ride,” hoping to generate money for the Perry Chamber of Commerce. He never missed an opportunity to visit the baked potato bar at the United Methodist Church in Rippey, marking the halfway point of the ride. The last time he rode BRR was in 2021 at the age of 83.
Dennis is survived by his wife, Shirley; and their four children, Craig (Karen) Hurley, Theresa (Mike) Schall, Jim (Lisa) Hurley and Scott (Stephanie) Hurley; grandchildren,; Bryant (Allie) Hurley, Cassie (Jon) Galloway, Ryan and Rachel Schall, Brandon, Jeremey, Nathan and Jacob Hurley, Emerson Hurley, and Frances and Audrey McFarland; and his great-grandchildren, Presley, Charlotte and Hadley Galloway, Caiden Hurley and Hunter and Cameron Hurley.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Lucille; his father, Francis; his brothers, Frank, Dick, Bill and Ken; and his sister, Pat.
Visitation will be at the Iles Westover Funeral Home, 6337 Hickman Road, Des Moines, IA 50322 on Wednesday, April 10 from 5-7 p.m., with a small service and the sharing of memories at 7 p.m. The funeral will be at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 2926 Beaver Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310 on Thursday, April 11 at 10 a.m.
