Lewis C. Gordon, Class of 1959
Lewis Clifford Gordon, age 89 Malta, OH Died: 8/31/2026 Born: 5/14/1937 Survived by: Mary Gordon, Julie Varick, Melanie Simms, Jeff Gordon Predeceased by: Oliver Gordon, Amy Gordon, Ann Smith, George Gordon
Lewis Clifford Gordon, age 89, went to be with the Lord on August 31, 2026. He "fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith." After ten years of battling Parkinson's Disease he has been given a new, glorified body.
Lew was born May 14, 1937 in Malta, OH to Oliver and Amy (Drury) Gordon. He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Ann Smith, and his brother George Gordon. He is survived by his wife, Mary (Kitson) Gordon, their three children, Julie Varick, Melanie Simms, and Jeff Gordon, along with eight grandchildren and thirty great grandchildren.
When Lew was a child, first in Malta/McConnelsville, and later in Canton. Ohio, a future that included college would have seemed unattainable. Then he met his high school sweetheart in Junior Achievement and she helped him see that he had more potential than he might have imagined. His family pooled their limited resources allowing him to go to Muskingum College to earn a business degree and a secondary education teaching certificate. He worked two jobs the summer before his senior year, and drove a school bus during the school year to pay for that last year.
The kids on that bus soon learned that Lew was a storyteller. They would listen with rapt attention as he would weave stories of the wild west, no doubt inspired by his love for Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey. Later, his stories would be about his early career as a buyer with the Hoover Company, or as a very successful salesman and later district manager selling for SKF bearings. All of those stories revolved around the lives of the people he touched or that impacted him. He said that his favorite hobby was helping others.
During that busy senior year he married that high school sweetheart and they quickly built a strong, loving family with three kids. Despite that very full plate, Lew still found time to serve in the Air National Guard, serve as an elder at their church, and work on his MBA from Kent State. As the kids grew he coached their sports teams and led a church youth group and still always found time to throw a ball after dinner. He was foundational in forming Agape Christian Fellowship, which started in their Cincinnati home.
They moved to "the farm" in Indiana in 1984 where they got involved in the local church. He served as a guiding force in the church and was instrumental in starting a food pantry which ministered to hundreds of local residents for sixteen years. Memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa out at the farm will be cherished by their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. They moved in to Milford, OH for the past two years to be closer to family. He will be missed by all who knew him.