Gary Wesley Gordon, 76, son of Lew and Thelma Gordon, was born on July 3, 1943, in Lebanon, Missouri. He was called home to join his Lord & Savior on Dec. 29, 2019. At that moment, he was reunited with his parents, sisters, and his son, Wesley.
He was married to Billie Sue Burnside on March 29, 1963, in Cabool, Missouri. In March of 2020, they would have celebrated 57 years together. Their first home was San Diego, California where he was stationed in the Navy and trained as a dental technician. He later moved to Memphis where he taught at the University of Memphis Dental School.
After the encouragement from other dental students for him to set up a lab for their new dental offices, he took the opportunity to settle in Batesville and opened his own dental laboratory in 1976. He ran and operated Riverside Dental Lab until 2016 when he decided to retire. He also served as the president of the ADLA (Arkansas Dental Lab Association) in 1989.
Gary was a member of Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church and was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He greatly enjoyed spending time outdoors with both family and friends and enjoyed camping, boating, family vacations, and building with his hands, such as the home in which he lived and raised his family in the beautiful community of Bethesda. He was an enthusiastic golfer and also stayed active in the Bethesda community serving on the board of the Bethesda Fire Department.
Other than his parents, he was also preceded in death by four sisters; Peggy Crandall, Ida Thomas, Patricia Louise Gordon, and Vivian Jean Ludolph; as well as his son, Wesley Michael Gordon, and a granddaughter, Kailey Dawn Gordon.
Gary is survived by his wife, Billie Sue Gordon, of the home; his children, Valorie (Gordon) & Marcus Jarrett, of Paragould; Patricia (Gordon) & Jim Bass of Fort Smith; and Ricky Gordon & Teresa of Batesville; ten grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
There will be a visitation Thursday, Jan. 2, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church, and the funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. Arrangements are through Willis Funeral Service.
