Frank "Pete" Gordon, 92, of Spearfish, SD died Thursday, September 15, at the David M. Dorsett Healthcare Center in Spearfish. The day was the 65th birthday of his only child, Christine Dove of Des Moines, IA.
Pete was born July 29, 1924, in Aladdin, Wyoming, attended by a midwife to Frank and Anna (Landsverk) Gordon. Some years later the family moved to Belle Fourche, where Pete and his siblings attended school and his father secured employment at the Electric Light Plant and the Flour Mill. Upon the death of his father, his mother moved the family to California to be closer to her family. While in California, as WWII loomed over Europe, he worked as a shipyard rigger at Moore Dry Dock in Oakland, CA. When Pete received his military draft notice he returned to Belle Fourche to enter with his old school friends. He entered service on October 15, 1943 at Fort Crook, Nebraska and served with the 1st Engineer Combat Battalion in Central Europe under General George Patton. He was honorably discharged in January of 1946 at Camp Carson, Colorado. Following his service in the United States Army, Pete became a truck driver for Buckingham Transportation. Pete met Florence Dahl of Spearfish and the couple married on the first day of spring, March 21, 1949. He became a favorite uncle who fished, hunted and camped with his nephews. Pete and Florence had recently celebrated 65 years of marriage and were looking forward to 70 years. Pete outlived all four of his siblings, but he left their children and grandchildren with many happy memories of their Uncle Pete.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30am, on Monday, September 19, 2016 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Spearfish, with a visitation one hour prior to the service at the church. A fellowship time will follow the service, and then burial will take place at Black Hills National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established to benefit the Western Hills Humane Society.
Arrangements are under the care of Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels & Crematory Service of Spearfish.
Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com.