Bethel June Gordon passed on September 25, 2022 Bethel was born on June 14, 1931 in Moorcroft, Wyoming. She was the youngest child of James Vernon and Amanda Rains, following her brother Jim Rains. The family moved to Jackson Hole and pursued a career in rural contract postal delivery. Bethel helped deliver the mail at the age of 12. The family business soon grew into a transportation company with trucks and busses. At age 10, her family was the 16th car to traverse the Alcan Highway, 3000 mi from Canada to Alaska, 600 miles between gas stations and used 12 tires to make the trip. Her first paying job was to sleep in a bedroll under the wing of a DC-3 at the Jackson airport, with a gun, to scare off any animals who could damage the new plane. The family had a love for flying and incorporated it into the mail service with airmail in South Dakota and Wyoming. She started flying at the age of 13 and had been given an airplane by the age of 15. Her dad had loaned her airplane to a friend, who had crashed it, and Bethel kept asking her dad where is my airplane?
Bethel met Gene Gordon, who tried to carry mail but found the winters too cold to live there. They had 2 boys, Steven Eugene Gordon in1948 and Eric James Gordon in 1951. They got the contract to supply the logs and build the movie set for the movie Shane. They then left Wyoming and moved to El Segundo California where he made a living as a carpenter.
This is a celebration of her life, not a tragedy. Bethel had faced adversity with dignity and courage. She had beaten cancer and faced hard times with integrity. She was a world traveler and loved to go on cruise ships. She has been to 8 countries in Europe, Africa, Costa Rico, the Bahamas, Mexico, Canada, and Alaska 3 times and an east coast cruise in the fall. She also loved to bowl. She won a state championship, a free trip for two to Washington D.C.
She was introduced to horses by her parents as a very young girl. She was driven to a ranch to pick up her first horse named Dixie. Her dad dropped her off and she rode the 20+ miles home where she got bucked off, and Dixie ran home. Her dad drove her back to the ranch where she rode the same 20+ miles in the dark. She continued to own and ride horses all of her life. She has ridden in 6 wilderness areas and had many horse camping adventures and pack trips.
She had kidney failure at age 90, and passed away at 91 due to complications.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.joshuamortuary.com for the GORDON family.
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