Linda Gordon

Linda Gordon was a modest woman, quiet and observant in her ways. She was trustworthy and traditional in her approach to her life and in her relationships. She was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew her. She was also a woman who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything she undertook. Realistic about life, she was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

       Her parents were Frank and Marie Hiusser. Linda was raised in Seaforth, Whitby, Cambridge. She was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve her well throughout her life.

      Growing up in the Gordon household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Linda was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and she was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Linda was raised with Two Siblings. She had two younger brothers Fred and Gord. Linda was constantly involved in activities with her brothers . Linda and her siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Linda was always consistently loyal to her family.

      As a young child, Linda was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. She wasn’t pushy and never forced her way into games or other activities. Linda developed a variety of interests, though, and the things she enjoyed doing she did well. She was always curious about the world around her and was often eager to explore it. Linda took part in swimming. In her spare time she liked reading, listening to music and collecting records. However, what Linda enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with her many friends.

      While her teachers and even her friends generally thought of Linda as being a serious person, she managed to have a pretty good time in high school as she made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. She graduated from Glenview in 1970. She enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was English and Grammer. Linda was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using her exceptional memory, she was able to learn much through observation. Linda always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though she could easily master any problem that might be presented to her.

      College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Linda handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Linda was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete her class work. She seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down her classmates. Linda was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed her fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Linda well during her college experience. Her favorite courses were English and Literature.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Linda was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during her life. Since she disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw her own conclusions based on direct observation, Linda was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew her. She was committed to her friends and valued the trust she placed in them. It was not uncommon for Linda to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought her out for advice because she had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. Later in life, she became friends with Bob and Pauline Gardner, Bill and Lisa Volmaer and Trudy and Avairs.

      On December 7, 1974 Linda exchanged wedding vows with Linda Marie Hiusser at the Wesley United Church of Cambridge, Ontario. Compassionate and devoted to Mike, Linda held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. She took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it her total commitment. She was a source of strength to Mike and using her gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, she worked hard to make her new family happy.

      Linda brought the same traditional values in her marriage to bear on how she raised her children. She was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in her dealings. She would always listen carefully and think things through before she acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Linda was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Linda was blessed with Two Children, Two sons James and Jonathan. They were also blessed with Two grandchildren, Madison and Austin.

      Linda greatly enjoyed what she did for a living. She was a hard worker who expected the same in return from her co-workers. She was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Linda enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Linda was excellent at meeting deadlines. She was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. Her primary occupations were Teacher and babysitter, Sears Parts and phone centre for cancer. She was employed for one year teaching Ayr, supply teaching primary grades for several years and caregiver when her kids were young. Linda worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Linda liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into her hobbies, where she was very methodical in how she organized her activities and categorized things. Since she enjoyed her private time, Linda always tried to allocate a specific time for working on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were reading, walking on nature trails, collecting seashells. Linda was content to enjoy her hobbies alone but was also willing to share her interests with others.

      Linda found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, she could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. She applauded those who won, and she enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find herself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Linda played camping and canoeing in Algonquin Park. She would watch her favorite sporting events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were live baseball and hockey.

      Many organizations were grateful to have Linda as a member, since she always brought with her a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Linda was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that she was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. She always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Linda was a member of the young liberals.

      As a woman who always showed great commitment to the things she believed in, it’s little wonder that Linda was so active in her community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, Linda preferred to base her decisions on first-hand experiences. Linda was never afraid to roll up her sleeves and dig right in. Politically, Linda was involved in the young liberals.

      Linda was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member Wesley United Church. She was a sympathetic woman who valued her beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

      Linda enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since she was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Linda appeared effortless. She enjoyed researching all of her examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where she traveled, Linda always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Barbadoes, Jamaica, Dominican Republic.

      Linda was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Linda’s favorites was Spence and Angel, Dalamation. They were best friends for Spencer 1 and a half years was hit by a snowmobile at cottage and Angel 14 years. Her family was rounded out by her previous dog Shamus.

      Linda Gordon passed away on February 1, 2012 at Lissard House Cambridge, Ontario. She is survived by husband Mike sons James and Jonathan grandchildren Madison and Austin. Services were held at Wesley United Church.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Linda Gordon. She was committed to living the life of a good woman who was both practical and trustworthy. She was committed to the traditional values that she upheld her entire life. She committed herself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around her. Most of all, she was committed to those she knew and loved.

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Passed away peacefully on February 1, 2012 at Lisaard House with family by her side. Survived by her husband Mike, sons James and Jonathon, grandchildren Madison and Austin. Also survived by her mother Marie and her brothers Fred (Brenda) and Gord (Dale). Cremation has taken place. A Memorial service will be held at Wesley United Church 6 Cambridge Street Cambridge on Tuesday February 7, 2012 at 1:30 P. M.. As expressions of sympathy donations to Lisaard House or Cambridge Memorial Hospital MRI Fund would be appreciated by the family. Arrangements entrusted to Coutts Funeral Home (519-621-1650).