Hi Harry - Great Eulogy.  Send a word to Gord to keep an eye out for Stoker Cleas Duperreault.  He was in the Rosthern.  He also plays a decent game of cribbage.  I thoroughly enjoyed those few times I met GordnGlad, it is hard not to think of one without the other.  And I have been eternally grateful for the way in which they adopted Gill (Mum and Dad) after our parents died.  You and your family were exactly what Sis needed.

Gladys - We, the Pooks, mourn your loss with you and wish you many joyful years yet.

Deepest condolences to you all from Christine, Stephanie, Adrian and Chris Pook

Hello Gladys and family. We are sorry to hear about the passing of your dear Gordon. We did not know Gordon all that well but from what we know he was a fine person, husband and father. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this time of sorrow. Marcel, Marie-J. and Marie Kirouac.

Hi Gladys and family!
So sorry to hear about Gordon passing away. We did not know Gordon that well personally but from what we saw he was a fine person, husband, and father. Please know that our thoughts  and prayers are with you at this time of sorrow. Marcel and Marie-J. and Marie Kirouac.

Allan and I send out condolences to Glad, Harry and family.

Just the other day I found a picture of the bridge club from 1985 at Joyce Buckhams cottage.  You were in that picture Glad, along with Joyce, Lois, Doris, Dulc, Dunc, myself,Myrt.
Memories for sure.
Our thoughts are with you.
Allan and Marg Wright,
New Liskeard,

Good morning. I think I know everyone here, I am Harry Lawrence, and Gordon Lawrence was my father, my mentor, and my friend. Gordon was born prematurely in 1925, a time when such babies almost always died, but he was a fighter and after a few close calls pulled through. It was a much simpler time but Gordon and his sisters Betty and Helen had a happy childhood. They were blessed with loving parents, and grandparents who doted on all there grand children. They would often go to their grandparents farm in the summer. It was here after Sunday School that a young Gordon arrived to lunch wet and muddy from the creek. On being admonished by his grandmother his defense was that he had been looking for baby Moses in the bull rushes. It was this same creek at which Gordon and his cousin and life long friend Bun , decided that since they could not swim across the water they would walk across the bottom. In a scene out of Willy Coyote they put on their rubber boots and descended to the bottom at this point the flaw in their plan was revealed. Arriving home wet and shoeless, it was again Grandma who demanded they go back to the creek and retrieve the boots from the creek bottom.
As he matured in his home town of Kirkland Lake, the world was moving from the depression years to world war. At age seventeen and a half Gordon enlisted in the royal Canadian navy. Take a minute and ask yourself what you were doing at that age. He spent the next three years of his life on the corvette Own Sound as a stoker. A small ship that served as guard to the convoys bring supplies across the Atlantic it was often a rough ride. As well as working the boilers that powered the ship, stokers were often ordered up top to chop the ice from the vessel, so it would not become top heavy and capsize. In spite of the hard work and danger Gordon loved the adventure, being part of a team, and serving his country. In later years he attender ship reunions, and stayed in touch with many old shipmates.
On discharge Gordon went to the small town of New Liskeard, about fifty miles south of KL. On arrival one of the owners of the company his late father had worked for met him at the train station. Gord told him he was interested in becoming a stationary engineer. Mr. Hill told him he could apprentice at the factory, and that is where he worked for the next twenty years. He worked hard, studied at night and went to Toronto to take tests. He got his engineers papers, and became the chief engineer at the plant. When that factory closed, he moved to another in town and was their chief engineer for twenty years. 
New Liskeard gave Gordon more than a place to work. It gave him the love of his life and the woman who would be his wife for almost sixty eight years. Gladys was the perfect partner for Gord. They offset each other like a great team. Nothing in life gave Gord more pleasure than making Gladys happy. It was his mission in life. A big hug, a small gift, the cooking of a meal, all were designed to make her life better.
Gord was a quick study, and watched how things were done. He could fix anything, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, all came easily to him, and he was always ready to help others with his skills. Many ministers at the Anglican Church had his number on speed dial over the years. Dad would smile pick up his tool box and fix whatever had gone wrong. The neighbor next door was a doctor, and once told me. You know if I showed your dad how to take out an appendix once, he could do the operation as well as I do.
Dad loved to spend time with family. He was blessed to have two wonderful sisters who married great guys. The three couples loved to get together especially at the cottage, which was dads' refuge from the world. The entire time we owned the cottage there was never a phone. That must make anyone here under thirty have a panic attack. Times got even better when either of his nieces Patti of Kim were around. He had great love and respect for both of them. Once we had a cottage dad thought we needed a canoe. Its Canadian he said. Mom was afraid it was too tippy a craft, so to prove how stable it was we went to the lake in early April. The ice was a silver circle in the center of the lake as Gord paddled back and forth off the dock . See you can even sway side to side and it still won't. He did a beautiful back stroke as he hauler the capsized canoe to shore. Its not that cold he shivered as we drove back to town. 
Cars were a passion. No matter what he was driving he was always on the lookout for something else. All the dealers in the small town were used to him wandering thelr lots, and did not bother him. If he had questions he would come in and ask. This backfired at the Volvo dealers one day. In his seventies at the time, he climbed in a model to check leg room in the back seat. The childproof, and in this case Gord proof lock was on. He decided to climb over the front seat, but ended up upside down under the steering wheel, head near the pedals. A salesman came and opened the front door. Just checking the steering column said dad.
At age seventy five when most people are set in their ways, Gord and Glad moved to Waterloo to be closer to my wife and I .It could not have been easy to do, but it was well worth while. Over the last years we were able to spend time together every week. Whether it was our Sunday brunches. Family events, or just hanging out we were able to have the gift of time together. We were even able to take some trips together. 
 A trip to Ireland and cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean were great, but road trips were his thing. Behind the wheel on the open road. He and Gladys travelled Canada from coast to coast several times. On one occasion they we left New Brunswick at eight am and headed to Maine, through Vermont and New Hampshire. We are making great time he said as we stopped for gas and a snack. Across the border into Quebec, we're making good time. Along the St Lawrence, and into Ontario, we're making good time. At eight pm after twelve hours driving through three states and three provinces, my mother finally convinced him to pull over for the night. We were making such great time he said.
Well dad you don't have to worry about making great time ant more. You are home.

Dear Family and Gladys I am so sorry to hear the passed of Gordon my thoughts and prays are with you all 
Ida

OBITUARY

Gordon William Lawrence

16 October, 1925 – 1 August, 2015

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