Tony Gordon

Some people achieve greatness by some notable act, something that is recognized in the newspapers or mentioned on the radio. Others like Antonio “Tony” C. Gordon, are quiet heroes, whose great deeds are softly given to the people fortunate enough to have him in their lives.

The 1950s were a bustling, optimistic time in American history. Neighborhoods and schools were bursting at the seams in the post-war Baby Boom. Families moved from the cities to stake claims on a comfortable life in the suburbs, where new domestic technologies promised to make the average American life easier. Antonio “Tony” Gordon was born during this period of robust exuberance in Holland, Michigan, on a wintry January 5, 1954. While just a baby, Tony’s mother, Shirley, married John Gordon, who adopted little Tony as his own and became the only father he grew to know and love. Both his parents worked to support the family. Shirley worked at Baker Furniture while John toiled in the local factories. Unfortunately, as a young boy, his parents divorced.

Tony was an energetic and creative boy growing up in the Hamilton area. He loved to be outdoors pursuing one of his favorite pastimes - hunting for arrowheads. It was nothing for him to spend hours scouring the area for arrowheads to add to his cherished collection. A real Civil War buff, Tony liked collecting any memorabilia of that time. Tony also loved to draw and was quite an artist.

A few years later, Tony met and married Retta Blanton and together they raised their daughter, Lee Ann Nicole. Unfortunately, their marriage ended after 23 years. In later years, Tony would once again be reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Debra Mc Alpine, who was also the mother of his first daughter, Charity Johns. When Tony and Debra were wed in 2002, it not only symbolized the merging of two lives, but also the reuniting of father and daughter. Of all the wonderful things in Tony’s life, spending time with his loved ones towered above the rest. He longed to spend time with Debra taking leisure walks in the woods and picking wildflowers. They also enjoyed traveling and some memorable trips were taken up north and out west to California. Their time together was always so peaceful and brought great fulfillment to Tony. His most endearing trait, however, was his old-fashioned romanticism. Debra loved how Tony gently held her hand on their walks and his sweet gentleman ways. Throughout his life, Tony held a special reverence for his grandfather. It seems when life was at its hardest, Grandpa Clifford was always there to impart some wisdom or to simply lend a helping hand.

Besides being a devoted husband and father, Tony also worked hard to support his family. At one time, Tony pursued classes to become a nurse, but was unable to complete his schooling due to an injury he sustained. Nonetheless, he thoroughly enjoyed his job working in a nursing home for eight years. Here he was able to share his love, laughter and inspiration with many people who truly needed him to brighten their day. Regrettably, his injury interfered with his work and was unable to continue there. He then took a job with Holland Sentinel, where he worked in customer service for the next eight years.

Tony had many interests to keep him busy. With a passion for music, Tony played several different instruments. He was a drum major back in high school band and played the cornet. Later in life, he learned to play the guitar and most recently, the banjo. Tony continued to love to draw and his favorite food was good old-fashioned southern cooking. His grandmother was from the south and boy could she cook.

Antonio “Tony” C. Gordon of Holland died on Monday, May 17, 2004. He is survived by his wife, Debra Gordon of Holland; children: Charity and Bill Johns of Holland, Lee Ann Nicole Gordon of Hamilton, Brad and Rebecca De Feyter of Holland and Nichole and Jordan Lankheet of Holland; 6 grandchildren; father, John Gordon of Newberry, MI; grandfather, Clifford Lynch of Holland; father-in-law, Thomas Al Mc Alpine of Curtis, MI; brothers: Carter and Jeannie Gordon of Holland and Larry Dean Gordon of Holland; in-laws: Don and Lola Mc Alpine of Holland, Ted Mc Alpine of VA, Virgil and Debra Mc Alpine of CA, Dawn and Ross Schrotenboer of Hamilton, John and Gladys Grant of Hamilton, and Troy and Kristi Grant of Allegan; several brothers and sisters-in-law, aunts and uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 21, at 1:00 p.m. at the Mulder Chapel, Dykstra Funeral Homes, 188 West 32nd Street. Visitation will be on Thursday, May 20, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at the chapel. To read Tony’s life story, share a memory with his family, order flowers online or make a memorial contribution to the Vietnam Veterans of America, please visit his personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com.

Tony was an honest and caring man who found immense happiness in a simple and quiet life. He will be greatly missed.