Maricopa, AZ: Nathaniel Elijah Gordon, age 20, passed away at his home in Maricopa on Friday January 8, 2021. Son of Steven and Rebecca (Oakes) Gordon, he was born on October 15th, 2000 in Chandler, Arizona.
He courageously battled medical issues most of his life being diagnosed with Autism at an early age and with Diabetes shortly thereafter. Several other complicated medical issues continued causing numerous hospitalizations each year throughout his life.
As a young boy he attended school briefly but at that time schools were ill prepared for children with special needs such as Nathaniel’s. He was provided with both speech and occupational therapies for a time but most of his beneficial interactions and education came from his parents.
He loved using his computer and surfing the internet which occupied many hours of his time. He also developed a special affinity for calendars and had a remarkable ability to recreate a calendar for any month of any year without any references but his own mind. Being non-verbal he couldn’t explain how he did it but most of the time he would get it exactly right. Nathaniel also loved Paw Patrol and enjoyed adding new items to his large collection.
In recent months he enjoyed making fun Tik-Tok videos with help from his mother and developed a large following who enjoyed his singing and dancing.
He is survived by his parents and his maternal grandfather Michael Oakes of Maricopa, his big sister Marrissa Oakes and nephew Matthew Oakes of Tempe and a number of aunts, uncles and cousins living in Arizona, Texas, New York, Oregon and Virginia all of whom will miss him greatly.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Maurice and Beverly Gordon and his maternal grandmother Karen Oakes.
Services will be held at Trinity Christian Fellowship located at 50 S. McQueen Rd in Chandler AZ on January 16, 2021 with visitation at 11:00 AM and funeral service at 12:00 PM. Burial will follow with limited attendance (Covid restriction) at 2:00 PM at Valley Of The Sun Cemetery in Chandler. Nathaniel’s family is welcoming family and friends to their home for a gathering following the service.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations in his name to SARC (Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center), JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), Make-A-Wish Foundation, Hospice of the Valley (Pediatric) or another charitable organization of choice.
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