Gordon Albert Leiter, 90, of Rome Georgia, passed away peacefully in hospital on Monday January 11, 2021. He was preceded in death by his parents, Noah Claud and Violet (Fry) Leiter, his beloved wife, Peggy Saville Leiter, and his son Lawrence “Larry” Leiter.
Gordon was born in Sedalia, Missouri on Feb. 4, 1930. He started school in a one-room schoolhouse, going on to be class valedictorian at his high school graduation and graduating from University of Missouri in 1951 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked for General Electric in the Transformers Division in Pittsfield Massachusetts and Rome Georgia for his entire career. As a senior design engineer he developed and patented a switch used in transformers around the world.
Gordon married the love of his life, Ida Marguerite “Peggy” Saville on July 25, 1952. They had enjoyed 64 years of marriage by the time of her death. Following his retirement from GE in 1992, they traveled throughout North America, Europe and Australia and enjoyed supporting many local music and theatre groups by attending concerts, plays and making donations. He was a dedicated member of Rome First United Methodist Church. Throughout his life he volunteered through his church, work and many other organizations. This included involvement in Rome Little Theatre since 1967, Heyman Hospice Care since 1992, a coordinator for AARP tax assistance for 25 years, Rome Area History Museum, and Red Cross Disaster Relief Team. He received several awards for his volunteer work culminating with the Heart of the Community Board of Governors Award in 2020. Gordon summed up his volunteering by quoting Martin Luther King Jr.—“Life’s most important and urgent question is, what are we doing for others?” and added, “My feeling is wherever you are, in any community, you need to get involved as much as you possibly can.”
Gordon leaves behind his sister Yvonne Fowler of Blue Springs Missouri, his brother Duane Leiter (Helen) of Kansas City, Kansas, two daughters Virginia Leiter (Willis Noble) of Fredericton, Canada, and Kathy Norman (David) of Shelby, NC, daughter-in-law Ruth Anna Beaton (Brad) of Suwanee Georgia, 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
The family would like to thank Gordon's many friends who have been so supportive during the past year and all the health care workers who bravely take care of COVID-19 patients like Gordon.
In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made in Gordon’s memory to First United Methodist Church, 202 East 3rd Ave. Rome, GA 30161, Heyman Hospice Care c/o Floyd Healthcare Foundation, 400 Turner McCall Blvd, Suite 102, Rome GA 30165 or to a charity of your choice. Due to the pandemic, a service will be arranged at a later date.
Daniel's Funeral Home has charge of the arrangements.
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