Ex-Mayor Venn W. Furgeson Dies After Long Illness

Former Mayor Venn W. Furgeson, one of the city’s founders, died Tuesday after a long illness. He was 80.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday at Hawaiian Gardens City Hall at 10 a.m.

A Hawaiian Gardens resident since 1939, Furgeson was elected to the first City Council after it incorporated in 1964. He was elected mayor in 1967 and again in 1971 and 1982.

He was active in the community until he retired in 1990, serving as board member and president of the former Bloomfield Elementary and Excelsior High School districts. Later, he served on the ABC Unified School District Board of Trustees. Venn Furgeson Elementary School at 22215 Elaine Ave. was named in his honor.

Mayor Kathleen Navejas managed Furgeson’s last reelection campaign in 1988. “I didn’t have to do anything for him because everybody knew him,” she said. “He thought he was going to lose but he got the most votes.”

Navejas said Furgeson had a lot to offer city government. “He was a very compassionate, caring person. He had a lot of experience and wisdom that he shared with the new council members.”

Furgeson was a member of the Lions Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the PTA and the YMCA.

In his capacity as a city official, he served on the board of the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, was president and vice president of the California Contract Cities Assn. and was a voting delegate to the League of California Cities.

Furgeson is survived by his wife, Gladys, sons Lonny and Charles, and daughters Carol and Peggy.

Funeral services will be private.