Edward Wilkins Gordon, age 93, of Spokane, formerly of Helena and Great Falls, died of natural causes on April 15, 2012 in Spokane.
Ed was born Jan 6, 1919 to Roy and Margaret Gordon in Virginia, MN. He was raised and educated in Virginia and attended Virginia Junior College where he captained the college golf team for several years. He spent 5-seasons working as a bellman and head porter in Glacier National Park during the summers and attended college at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington DC and was a member of the Georgetown Alumni Association.
Ed also attended Dartmouth College and worked briefly for the British Royal Air Force before enlisting in the US Navy in 1942. He was granted a commission and commanded several anti-submarine patrol boats. Later he commanded the attack transport USS Crocket which participated in the invasion of Okinawa. He served 5-years active duty and was granted an honorable discharge from the Naval Reserve in 1959.
Ed moved to Montana where he married Fanny Williams Nahrgang of Great Falls in 1956, who preceded him in death in 2004. He worked for Leslie Paper, Credit Service Co., and the Great Falls Tribune. He then went to work for the State Of Montana for 23 years in Helena as a purchasing agent and for the Department Of Highways before retiring in 1993.
Ed loved golf, traveling and jazz music. He personally knew many of the jazz “greats”. He was elected president of the Great Falls Men’s Municipal Golf Assoc. in 1969. In 2004 he moved to the Spokane area to be near his son and spent 7-years as a resident of the Orchard Crest Retirement Community where he made many friends.
Ed is survived by his son Edward Gordon and his wife Sandra of Liberty Lake, WA; step daughters, Dee Miller of Seattle, WA and Wendy Long of Missoula; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A Memorial Service is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Friday, May 18, 2012 at Retz Funeral Home Chapel, 315 E 6th Ave., Helena. Burial with Military Honors will follow the service at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Ft. Harrison.
To offer a condolence or share a memory of Edward, please visit the guest book.
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Jody, Stacy, Jackson and Jamie Miller says
Uncle Ed & Sandy, Gramma Dee and Aunt Wendy,
We share in your grief and mourn the loss of Grandpa Gordon. He was man of character and lived a full life indeed.
We all loved him dearly and he will be missed.
-Jody, Stacy, Jackson and Jamie