William E. Gulley

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William E. "Bill" Gulley, member of a pioneer Castaic family, passed away early Saturday morning [August 19, 1961] at his home. His health had been failing for a considerable time and death was attributed to a coronary thrombosis.

Services for the decedent took place Tuesday afternoon at Hilburn's Chapel with Rev. Charles Dennis of the Santa Clarita Methodist Church officiating. He was laid to rest at Eternal Valley Memorial Park.

Mr. Gulley was born January 5, 1891, in Sandales, Mo., and spent his youth in neighboring Excelsior Springs. With the approach of World War I, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a cooking instructor. Contrary to his hopes, he was not sent overseas with the U.S. Expeditionary Forces. Upon his release from the armed forces, Mr. Gulley ventured into the cafe business, opening a tea room in St Joseph, Mo. In 1925 he was married to the former Leora Bass and shortly after, the couple decided to come to California where the deceased and a brother Cy became partners in a chain of cafes about the state.

It was in 1930 that Mr. and Mrs. Gulley with brothers Cy and Howard and sister Effie homesteaded a plot in Hasley Canyon. [Land patent issued to William E. Gulley alone; see below — Ed.] Sometime in 1938, Bill accepted a position as chef at the Wayside Honor Rancho, served in that capacity until the ending of World War II. His affiliation with service groups included a term as commander of the local American Legion post in the year 1937.

Mr. Gulley's last business enterprise was the opening of an insurance agency in the late 1940s in Newhall. An auto accident in early 1952 forced his retirement and sale of the business in April of that year. He had a great love for the area in which he dwelled and during the passing years, made a host of friends who will mourn his passing.

Surviving are his wife Leora of Castaic; brothers Cy of La Crescenta and Charles of Newhall; a sister, Effie Ellis of Culver City.