Gerald Gordon

Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home, Grove, Oklahoma 918-786-2261 Gerald Eugene "Jerry" Gordon, 76, of Grove, went home to be with his Heavenly Father on Tuesday, May 24, 2016, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, Arkansas, after a seven year illness which he fought valiantly under the care of the Myeloma Institute at UAMS. He was born October 20, 1939, in Grantville, Kansas, to Donald A. and Frances (Barry) Gordon. After attending several one-room schools in northeast Kansas, he graduated in 1957 from Lawrence High School, in Lawrence, Kansas. He married Caroline L. Hines on April 2, 1961. They had two children during their 23-year marriage before she passed away. Jerry got a second chance for true love when he married Deborah (Harris) Westbrook on May 10, 1986. They celebrated their 30th anniversary in the hospital before his condition took a turn for the worse. He was in Advanced ROTC at the University of Kansas where he got his bachelor's degree in accounting. He then served four years in the U.S. Air Force in the comptroller area, separating as a 1st Lieutenant. After the military, he went to work as an accountant for the wholesale food distributor Fleming Companies, Inc., retiring after 32 years as the company's Property Accounting Manager. A member of Grove's Grace Presbyterian Church, Jerry served seven years as treasurer and loved his Grace family. He was also a lifetime member of Grove's American Legion Post 178, serving as treasurer for many years. He served on Grove Veterans Ritual Team for nine years, acting as Tent Commander for five years. In this capacity he knelt and presented the flag to a total of 308 veterans' families, presenting his final flag two weeks before he was admitted to UAMS with Multiple Myeloma, which had caused multiple back compression fractures, making kneeling quite difficult but tenacious Jerry did it anyway. Jerry loved all aspects of being a member of the Ritual Team, but his passion was coordinating the Avenue of Flags which the team puts in place at the two city cemeteries twice a year. He was so proud to be a part of it. Jerry had a lifelong love for fishing, spending time every summer on Baby Lake in Hackensack, Minnesota, honing his skills. It was this pursuit that brought him and Debbie to move to Grove in 1999. He was a jack-of-all-trades and through sheer determination, a master-of-most, including his many hobbies, such as bowling, wood refinishing and building miniature furniture. He loved his family and friends and was loved by all who met him. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Caroline, and sister-in-law Hazel Gordon. Survivors include wife, Debbie of the home; daughter Cheryl A. Gordon-Pike (Aldie Pike, Jr.), West Fork, Arkansas; son Christopher I. Gordon (Tracey), Guthrie, Oklahoma; brother Donald E. Gordon, Oskaloosa, Kansas; four grandchildren, Taylor Gordon, Crescent, Oklahoma; Ashton Schiehing Sales (Jeff), Stillwater, Oklahoma; Aldie Pike III (Shannon), Henderson, Nevada; and Cindy Pike, Las Vegas, Nevada; five great-grandchildren, Chloie and Elijah Sales, Stillwater, Oklahoma; Ashleigh and Wesley Frehner, Las Vegas, Nevada; and due-any-day Colt Musil, Crescent, Oklahoma; and a host of nieces, nephews and sibling in-laws. A viewing will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday, May 31, at Worley Luginbuel Funeral Home, Grove. Services, with military rites by the Grove Veterans Ritual Team, will take place at 11 a.m., Friday, June 3, at Grace Presbyterian Church, Grove. Visitation will follow in the church's fellowship hall following the service. Graveside service will be at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 4, at Oak Ridge Cemetery near Perry, Kansas, with visitation following in the fellowship hall at First Baptist Church, 1330 Kasold Drive, Lawrence, Kansas. Memorials may be made to Grace Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 450705, Grove, OK 74345-0705, the Grove Veterans Ritual Team, or the Myeloma Institute, UAMS, 4301 W. Markham St., #816, Little Rock AR 72205.

Visitation Details

Tuesday, May 31st, 2016 9:00am - 2:00pm, Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home - Grove

Service Details

Friday, June 3rd, 2016 11:00am, Grace Presbyterian Church

Interment Details

Oak Ridge Cemetery