Gordon was born in Elizabethton, TN in 1947 to William Berry St. John and Iris Nadyne Purcell. The youngest of two boys, Gordon spent his childhood in the mountains of Tennessee helping his father on their dairy farm. He and his brother Bill tell stories of waking up before dawn to deliver milk to the townspeople.
During his teen years, Gordon saw the Rory Calhoun movie Thunder in Carolina. In Gordon’s words “that lit me on fire.” He spent the next few years learning the ropes of pit crew work for an up-and-coming racer named Herman Beam. NASCAR was in its infancy and Gordon was on the front lines to usher the sport into the mainstream.
Gordon joined the US Army in 1967 and was honorably discharged in 1972. He served in Vietnam before returning to Tennessee to help his father maintain the family farm.
Gordon was a man of many trades – he was a disc jockey, draftsman, dairy and cattle farmer, and electrician, but his most treasured roles were of husband, father, and grandfather.
Gordon met Gail in 1977 through a blind date set up by his sister-in-law, Rose and Gail’s sister, Donna. Gordon says he fell in love with Gail immediately. They were married for 41 years and in that time shared two children, 12 homes, and countless wonderful memories.
Gordon’s children, Heather and Candice, visited every amusement park, tourist site, roadside attraction, and duck pond on the east coast. His grandchildren, Noah, Isabella, Henry, Hollie, and Olivia knew Gordon as Pop-Pop, a grandpa whose love and patience for them was endless.
Gordon greatly enjoyed his final role as Lead Facilities Engineer at ADT’s Sunbeam Road location. Gordon was a diligent worker who loved being part of the ADT family. He had hoped to return to work in May.
Gordon leaves behind his wife, Gail Underwood St. John, and two children, Heather Young and Candice Upchurch, and their spouses, Andrew Young and Kenneth Upchurch. Gordon will be deeply missed by the entire family, especially his 5 grandchildren, Noah, Isabella, Henry, Hollie, and Olivia.
Celebration of Life Service at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17, 2019 at HARDAGE-GIDDENS FUNERAL HOME, 1701 Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville Beach. Private inurnment at Jacksonville National Cemetery, Jacksonville.
