Betty Gordon

Betty Joyce Gordon, born on New Years day, 1929 (96), was the oldest child of Lyle and Vera Gilliland in Bend, Oregon. Until she was 10 years old, Betty lived with her parents in a lumber camp some 50 miles S.E. of Bend. Living in a logging camp in the 1920’s and 1930’s was quite a challenge. Their first house was a two- room structure. There was no running water, no electricity and of course outside privies. Betty’s father was not a logger. He worked on the railroad as a foreman (“The steel gang”), maintaining the tracks and making them safe for the trains.

For recreation the family played games, had school plays and listened to the radio. Betty’s favorite programs were Little Orphan Annie, Jack Armstrong, The All -American Boy, and Amos and Andy. Her Dad listened to Walter Winchell for the news. The company Lyle worked for, Brooks-Scanlon, hosted picnics and Betty talked about how fun those were. She said they had three legged races, gunny sack races and foot races. She said “I usually won the foot races as I had long legs”.

Betty said they didn’t have church services in camp however each summer some parishioners would come from Bend and conduct a vacation bible school. This was so important to Betty as she always had a deep faith that she carried throughout her life.

She went to High School at Bend High and was a very good student making the honor roll and was a member of the Honor Society. When she was 16 she ran away from home and married her first husband. She had three children in that relationship before divorcing him in the late 1940’s. On January 19, 1951, Betty married the love of her life, Don Gordon, and in 1952 Don adopted her first three children. He always loved them as his own. Two more children entered the fold of the loving family making Betty’s world complete and unbreakable.

After Don’s passing in 1991, the family rallied and pushed forward under the maternal glue that Betty provided through her example. Betty’s strength was evident as she dove into her many interests and activities. Her faith was foremost in her life and was the foundation of her other interests. She was the family genealogist, prolific traveler, crafty seamstress, amazing cook, family counselor, information conduit, and an almost unbeatable card player (Bridge, Pinochle, Hand and Foot, etc). Betty was an undeniable force of nature, a strong and loving one of a kind. And in her own words written by Betty in the last line of her story, “It has been a wonderful life”!

Betty is survived by her five children, Bonnie Moore (husband Ron), Helen Gadiano, Philip Gordon (wife Odee), Cheryl Gordon (husband Tad) and John (Jack) Gordon (wife Patty); sixteen grand-children Cheri Leggett, Yvonne Moore, Ronnie Moore, Mike Gordon, Michelle Amstrup, Dynelle Gordon, Crystal Grabowski, Amanda Gordon, Sarah Gordon, Lara Kerner, Daniel Gordon, Stacey Montague, Robert Hoy, Joe Harnar, Jackie Millage and Jim Harnar.

She is also survived by numerous great-grand-children and great-great-grandchildren.

Betty is preceded in death by her parents Lyle and Vera Gilliland; brother Robert Gilliland, and sisters Donna Drake, and Patricia Mckee; Great- Grandson Nathaniel Leggett and Grandson Paul Gaines.

Family and friends are invited to attend the Celebration of Life service on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at the Live Oak Chapel, 200 E. Duarte Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016, starting at 12:00 noon. The graveside service will follow at 1:35 PM, for family only. The reception will be hosted at One & All Church at 1404 W. Covina Road, San Dimas, CA 91773, between 1:45 and 4:30 PM. Everyone is invited.