Born June 6, 1928 to Harold and Florence Evans in Logan, UT. The second of 6 children, he grew up on a dairy farm. He would speak fondly of going out to the pasture with his dog Rex to collect the cows and bring them to the barn for milking. During World War II, he joined the Merchant Marines and was on his way to Japan when the war ended.
He married Lois Ann Nielsen on January 19, 1949 in the Logan Utah LDS Temple. The young couple settled in the Bay Area of California where they raised their 4 children: Ronald, Gloria, Douglas, and Nancy.
Gordon left the Merchant Marines and was hired by Southern Pacific Railroad. He worked for Southern Pacific for 32 years.
Gordon and Lois moved to Salt Lake City, UT when their last child left home. In their retired years, they enjoyed traveling in their motor home with the Good Sam where he was a wagon master, and wintering in Yuma, AZ.
Gordon enjoyed construction and built several homes around the Salt Lake Valley. He had a tool for every job and could fix anything from sprinklers to furniture to cars. His garage is better stocked than Home Depot.
He liked to bicycle and would ride up Mt. Diablo from their home in Walnut Creek, CA. Gordon enjoyed reading atlases and driving the family to nearly every part of the great state of California.
Gordon served diligently as a ward clerk in his LDS ward for many years.
In his later years, Gordon suffered with dementia but always kept a positive attitude. He loved to get out of the house and he would talk to everyone he met. He’d ask, “Can you keep them under control?” to couples or groups of teenagers or growl at little children (always a tease!). He introduced Lois to people as his parole officer and she worried people would think he was serious. He frequently joked about sneaking money from Lois’ purse so he could go to McDonald’s. He was immensely generous and was always giving his money away.
Gordon is survived by his children, Ronald (Susan), Gloria Deyhle, Douglas (Jody), and Nancy (Gordon Palmer), siblings Clyde (Loraine), Lois Atkinson, and Janice Evans, and 16 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great granddaughter. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Lamar, sister Maxine, and son in-laws Donovan Dawson and Kenneth Deyhle.
A celebration of life will be held on Friday October 7, 2022 at 12 noon 4930 S Westmoor Road, Holladay, UT 84117. Viewing at 11 AM. Interment will take place at a later date.
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