After being so sick and fighting so hard, Gordon passed away 7/20/2020. We fought like hell to get the kids in to see him to say goodbye, and I am so thankful we did. Each kid got time alone with him and got to say what they wanted to tell him and he got to tell them what he wanted to share.
His obituary is here:https://dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/portland-or/gordon-reuland-9273365
I share the pictures below as a reminder of how hard it was at the end and also of how much love we had despite the touch times.
The kids and Mark and Katie were so amazing at his funeral services. Katie's words will stay in my heart forever and Maggie built the courage to also speak.
Here is what is not in his obituary that I would like to say about him:
-- He gave the gift of unconditional love to my children during their most formative years. For that, I will be eternally grateful. There is not a teammate of my children's various sports teams who doesn't know who Gordon is because he was at every home game. Come to think of it, there is not a big event of their lives that he wasn't there for -- graduations, plays, etc.
-- He made it possible it for me to balance work and motherhood and a strong marriage. Gordon babysat our kids at least two times a week. Weds after school and weekend date nights. The kids ADORED the time with him. I felt less guilty working full time and Mark and I got the gift of a date night knowing our kids were with their grandpa. He taught them card games, read books, watched movies, brought them cowboy pizza and showed them the true honor of a loving man in their lives and the gift of grandpas.
-- He was a central part of our Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas tree hunting traditions. He brought pies for Thanksgiving, wore his green "masters" jacket for Easter, and helped us pick the best the tree and always laughed at our names for the tree.
-- He became an avid Blazer, Timbers, and Thorns fan...something I think he never imagined growing up in Iowa.
-- He helped turn my daughter Frances into an avid Vikings fan -- something I know she will be for the rest of her life.
-- He took me in as his daughter and made me feel so special when he called me "dear". I saved a voice mail message in which he said his standard "I love you dear".
-- He became part of our "Peck" family and developed a very special relationship with my parents....A bond I just loved seeing as he and my dad did spiritual retreats together and he would notice my mom's new hair cut.
-- He helped raise two fantastic and incredible kids -- my husband Mark and sister-in-law Katie. I think that is his greatest legacy.
He has left an indelible mark on our family. His presence in in our house is sorely missed.
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