Hurley's World

Last Hurley of Revere Beach fame dies

Revere

Clement W Hurley was at Revere Beach when four roller coasters clacked and clattered around the seaside amusement park. He was at Revere Beach when there were six merry-go-rounds and the crash of dodgem cars competed with the pounding of the surf. And he was at Revere Beach when gravelly voiced barkers shilled stuffed dolls for a quarter a chance and smell of hot dogs and onions filled the air.

Hurley, of Saugus, the last remaining member of the original Hurley family who built the first amusements at Revere Beach, died peacefully Wednesday in Salem at Salem Hospital. He was 89.

He was the second youngest of 10 children of Fred T. and Mary Ellen (Donahue) Hurley, who founded the first concessions and amusements on Revere Beach in the spring of 1896. His father and mother began with a small stand on the beach that grew into a family enterprise that operated dozens of amusements along the beach.

Hurley and his nine siblings all worked at the beach during the early and middle parts of the century. At one point, the Hurley family owned the majority of the amusements and concessions well remembered on the beach front including the Dodgem Cars, Joyce’s Homemade Chocolate Covers, the Tilt-A-Whirl, the Bubble Bounce, the Silver Streak (one of the roller coasters), the Caterpillar, a shooting gallery, the Spook House, the Fun House, Hurley’s Kiddie Park, the Palm Garden, Mary A’Hearn’s Frozen Custard, Hurley’s Clam Shack, the Derby Racer twin roller coaster, a bowling alley as well as multiple restaurants.

He worked at the park during the summers of his youth and most of the summers of his adult life until the ravages of the Blizzard of ’78 forced the last remaining amusements on the beach to be closed.

In addition to the long hours, Hurley and his late wife, Margaret (Sharpe) Hurley, spent working the Dodgem Cars and Joyce’s Homemade Chocolate Covers, Hurley was also a distinguished member of the Revere Fire Department for the 19 years fighting some of Revere’s largest and most dangerous fires at such landmarks as the Ocean Ballroom and the Beachview Ballroom, famous performance sites of the century’s early big bands.

Over many years, Hurley again and again proved himself to be a true hero of the fire department, no more so than when he went headlong into danger to save the lives of two small children in a five alarm apartment building fire.

Hr. Hurley lost his hearing while on the fire department fighting an oil slick fire at Suffolk Downs in below zero temperatures. After the closing of the beach front amusements and retirement from the Revere Fire Department, Mr. Hurley’s strong work ethic and love for the concessions business led to him and his wife running an ice cream truck along Revere Beach Boulevard. He was always proud of his years at the beach, and the legacy of the Hurley family in Revere.

Mr. Hurley leaves one daughter, Margaret Joyce Cavanaugh of Lynnfield and two grandchildren, Jacquelyn and John Cavanaugh of South Boston. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held tonight from 5-9 p.m. at Bounfiglio’s Funeral Home, Revere. Funeral Mass will be 10 a.m. Saturday in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Revere.