1946 – 2019
David John Gordon, beloved father, grandfather and husband, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, of causes related to Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). He had just celebrated his 73rd birthday.
Dave was born to Merrell Gordon and Emma Dora Clark on April 17, 1946, in Provo, Utah. As the youngest of four children, he spent many happy years going on road trips with his parents. Dad carried this wanderlust over to his own family and they enjoyed numerous camping trips, off-road adventures, exploring ghost towns, and Utah’s many beautiful national and state parks.
Dad graduated from Provo High School and attended Brigham Young University for two years, majoring first in Civil Engineering and then in Education until he met and married Linda Marlene Nilsson from American Fork in the Manti, Utah temple. They lived for a short time in Springville, then settled in Provo to start their family, where they have lived ever since. In 2018 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
Dad loved anything with a motor: cars, motorcycles, scooters, tractors, and even lawn mowers! He had great mechanical aptitude and loved to tinker and fix things, so it came naturally for him to become an auto mechanic at Stanco where he worked throughout the 1970s and 80s. Dad prided himself in being an honest mechanic and often helped friends and neighbors out for free from his home. One of his neighbors nicknamed him “Dr. Motors” after he diagnosed the cause of a strange engine noise using a stethoscope.
After many years of having perpetual dirty hands, he ended his full-time work as an auto mechanic and went to work for RBM Services, managing several of their custodial accounts where his job was to help keep things clean. Dave loved working at RBM in the 1990s and 2000s where he developed many close friends.
Dad was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout his life and was always willing to serve others. He never saw these opportunities as an intrusion and was happy to help wherever he could. He served as a missionary in the Southwest Indian Mission from 1965-1967 speaking Navajo. He loved teaching and some of his favorite callings were teaching the youth as a Primary and Sunday School teacher. He also enjoyed serving his friends and neighbors as an elders quorum president, high councilor, and in the Stake Presidency of the Provo Grandview South Stake. He set an example of service to all of his descendants.
More than anything, Dad loved his family and supported them in all they did. He was always proud of their accomplishments. He leaves behind his wife Linda, his children Jennifer (Ari) McEntire, Noah (Angie) Gordon, and Annie (Brett) Clayson; and 12 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and older sister, Kay Ann, who died in infancy.
Funeral services will be held Saturday April 27, 2019 at 11:00 AM, with a viewing prior from 9:30-10:30 AM at the Grandview 13th Ward Chapel, 1260 W 1150 N, Provo, UT. A viewing will be held Friday, April 26th, at the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home, 85 E 300 S, Provo, UT, from 6:00-8:00 PM. Interment will be in the Provo City Cemetery.
