Gordon Charles LaGrange

Gordon was born in Port Arthur, Texas on October 7, 1933. Exactly one week later, the girl he would eventually marry was born, and she grew up less than a mile away from him. Gordon was a 1952 graduate of Bishop Byrne High School, and met his future bride, Judy, when they both attended Port Arthur College.

Gordon's passions were electronics and genealogy. He fell in love with amateur radio as a teenager, and managed to separate one of his teacher/nuns from her classroom telegraph key, beginning a hobby that he would enjoy for the rest of his life. As a young man he was very successful installing aerial antennas for a brand new invention called the television. His college courses led to a job maintaining the transmitter for a local radio station, where he once had to fill-in and read the news on-air. After retiring as a Shift Supervisor for Gulf Oil Chemicals / Chevron in 1996 he had great fun researching his own family history, as well as that of other family members. He had great times on the Baytown Genealogy Society bus trips to the Clayton Library and Cleburne Cafeteria.

Gordon was a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Baytown, and the Knights of Columbus. He took great joy in working with the KC Christmas Parties for the Baytown Opportunity Center, and dutifully manned the KC's Christmas Tree lot as well.

He is preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Julia Chadwick LaGrange; father, Noah LaGrange; mother, Georgianna Ferguson LaGrange; son Stephen Charles LaGrange; sisters Ellen LaGrange, and Carol LaGrappe; and brother-in-law Harvey LaGrappe.

He is survived by sons, Mark LaGrange of Houston, and David LaGrange of Baytown; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Elmer and Jean Chadwick of Niceville, Florida; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Betty and John Scott, of Beaumont; nieces and nephews Mike and Kathy Chadwick of Pfleugerville; Kathryn and Mark Townley of Lufkin; Kerry and John Helbig, of Conroe; Karen and Rod Daigle of Austin; Jan and Kenny Moore of Willis; Mike and Cindy LaGrappe, Jeff and Tammy LaGrappe, Ken and Connie LaGrappe, of Nederland; Chad and Jessica LaGrappe, of Beaumont; Craig and Robyn LaGrappe of Spring; Lori and Bob Bushnell of China, TX; and Rich and Ashley Wingard of Sulphur, LA.

Serving as pallbearers will be, Mike Chadwick of Pfleugerville, Mike LaGrappe of Nederland, Jeff LaGrappe of Groves, Ken LaGrappe of Nederland, Craig LaGrappe of Spring, and Dwayne Havis of Austin.

The family wishes to extend deepest gratitude to the dedicated staffs of San Jacinto Hospital (Garth and Alexander Campuses), Kindred Hospital, Cedar Bayou Health Care & Rehab, and very special thanks to the staff of St. James House.

In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to the not-for-profit St. James House, 5800 W. Baker Road, Baytown, TX 77520-1694. Please specify donations for "Employee Appreciation."

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, November 12, 2014, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., with a Rosary at 6:00p.m. at Earthman Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be on Thursday, November 13, 2014, at 2:00 p.m., at St. John’s Catholic Church, 800 W. Baker Rd, Baytown, TX 77521.

Interment will follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery, 8624 Garth Rd., Baytown, TX 77521.