Estelle Virgil described her son Jeff Gurley Jr. yesterday as “a very loving” person.
Gurley, 24, was killed Thursday morning on Route 18 in Wampum when his car and struck a concrete bridge, according to state police. The accident occurred around 5:10 a.m.
His mother, who lives in Beaver Falls, said he was on his way home when the crash occurred.
She said he was “a very bright and intelligent young man. A good dad. He loved his children.”
Gurley of 9 W. Edison Ave. was the father of 4-year-old twins. His wife, Candice, is expecting a third child in March, according to his mother.
He graduated from the Lawrence County Career and Technical Center in 2002, and soon after he enlisted in the Army a month before his 18th birthday. He first served in Kuwait and then in Iraq, and had just returned from his tour of duty.
In addition to serving in the Army, he was attending a business school, Virgil said.
She said her son had plans to go to Indiana to train new recruits.
