Gordon’s House

Gordon died on August 28, 2021 at age 65.  He often closed his emails with, “In the hope of glory,” and his family was honored to be with him as his hope was fulfilled and he opened his eyes wide to see Jesus.

Gordon was diagnosed with stage one pancreatic cancer in October 2020. His doctors were hopeful that since it was caught early and Gordon was strong and healthy otherwise, his cancer might be cured. He made his way through tough chemo, radiation, and more chemo over the next eight months. Along with a career in accounting, Gordon also had a background in medical laboratory science, which worked together to make him a conscientious, well-informed patient. After Gordon died, his oncologist said, “He did everything right and yet…”

Pancreatic cancer is tough and it wore Gordon down physically and emotionally. He leaned on his faith, shared it, and held onto hope for a cure. As he listened to God, he worked and prayed to prepare himself for his unspeakably fabulous eternal home with Jesus.

As a Stephen Minister, Gordon came alongside men who faced illness and life challenges.  Then, as a cancer patient, he benefited from having his own Stephen Minister who walked with him through his final challenge. He also continued his own ministry and recruited new Stephen Ministers up until his last days.

In the midst of COVID and cancer treatments, Gordon carried on with normal life with his family. He and his wife worked, walked 2-3 miles a day, went to church, and joined in joyful times with their grown son, daughter, and son-in-law, along with extended family. He was the cheerleader in the family. He listened to them and helped them with even menial stuff like cutting out flashcards for his daughter who is a teacher. He always reassured them of his love and his pride in being a husband and dad because these were his favorite jobs!

An avid sports fan and athlete, Gordon loved talking about sports with his son. They never seemed to run out of stats or opinions/information about the world of sports. He also loved hiking and kayaking with his family, especially along the North Shore of Lake Superior.  Always prepared for any eventuality, Gordon kept a band-aid in his wallet and packed every inch of his SUV’s storage with necessary supplies for a snowstorm, car breakdown, or fun adventure.

Gordon got to know Mike at church.  He prayed for him and his family along their journey and loved contributing to Healing Flats in Mike’s memory.  He would have been humbled and honored to see a Healing Flats house named after him and would have loved having his family join in this work in his name.