Virgil Lepouce Gordon

Virgil Lepouce Gordon Virgil Lepouce GORDON Born September 10, 1917, in Van Hook, North Dakota died peacefully surrounded by his family, on April 15, 2008. Funeral Services will be held Graveside at Evergreen Washelli, Saturday April 19th at 1:00 p.m. Family and friends will be welcomed at the family home after the ceremony. Virgil was a lifetime commercial fisherman in the waters of Northern Alaska to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. A member of the Fishing Vessels Owners Association and long-time President of the Washington Crab Producers Association, Virgil fished crab from Yakitat Alaska to San Francisco, California. He was also a yearly salmon fishing highliner in the Southeastern Alaska salmon fishery, often in the top five percent of producers. He was responsible for the building of several deep-sea crab boats and draggers and a pioneer in pot-fishing black cod. His salmon fishing crew often included university students, several of whom went on to become attorneys and businessmen. He was respected in the field for his ingenuity and made a considerable contribution to the improved methods of line-handling and procedures in the purse seining fishery. In 1949, the first delivery of 45, 000 pounds of live Dungeness Crab from Alaskan waters was made by Virgil and his crew on the Cross Sound. He graduated from Everett High School in 1936 and spent his young life building rowing skiffs and sail boats fueling his love of the sea and his never-ending passion for fishing. Virgil is survived by his wife of 67 years, Luana; daughters Candace Biamonti of Rome, Italy, and Cynthia Gordon; three grandchildren, Wendy Reiss, Dan Reiss and Jeffrey Reiss; and one great-grandson, Boden Reiss. He is also survived by his brother Tullus B. Gordon.