george gordon obituary george gordon obituary

[4], In 1843, Gordon was devastated when his favourite sibling, his sister Emily, died of tuberculosis, writing years later, "humanly speaking it changed my life, it was never the same since". This Gordon would later use as a reason for staying in Khartoum. How I look forward to their disbandment". As the Mahdi was long dead, Kitchener had to content himself with blowing up the Mahdi's tomb as revenge for Gordon's death. [205] A chain-smoking Gordon constantly paced the roof of his palace during the day, looking vainly for smoke on the Nile indicating that the steamers were coming, while spending much of the rest of his time in prayer. [48] Gordon also had the pleasure of defeating Burgevine (whom Gordon detested), who had raised a mercenary force and joined the Taipings. [87], The French-educated Isma'il Pasha greatly admired Europe as the model for excellence in everything, being an especially passionate Italophile and Francophile, saying at the beginning of his reign: "My country is no longer in Africa, it is now in Europe". [107] Gordon wrote in a letter to his sister about the Africans living a "life of fear and misery", but in spite of the "utter misery" of Equatoria that, "I like this work". [219], In 1885, Gordon achieved the martyrdom he had been seeking at Khartoum as the British press portrayed him as a saintly Christian hero and martyr who had died nobly resisting the Islamic onslaught of the Mahdi. [87] After Gordon resigned, Muhammad Rauf Pasha succeeded him as governor general of Sudan. [116] Faught wrote that Gordon's plans were "farsighted and humane", but Baring had no interest in Gordon's plans to suspend the interest payments. I wanted to share a memory from about ten years ago, George did a presentation to some of us and I have never forgotten it. In defiance of those instructions, after evacuating about 2,500 civilians he retained a smaller group of soldiers and non-military men. George Gordon 1925 - 2021 BORN 1925 DIED 2021 ABOUT Cornell University FUNERAL HOME Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Service 4291 Cascade Road SE Grand Rapids, MI GEORGE GORDON OBITUARY George H.. Gordon wrote in his diary: "The HOUR GLASS BROKEN" and predicted that the war would soon be won. He was always professional, approachable, kind, helpful and had an easy smile. The columns are surmounted by carved capitals supporting a cross. It was removed in 1943. Urban wrote that, "Newspaper readers in Bolton or Beaminister had become enraged by stories about chained black children, cruelly abducted, being sold into slave markets", and Gordon's anti-slavery efforts contributed to his image as a saintly man. [35] The British arrived at a crucial time. [188], The Shaggyeh (one of the few Arab tribes who did not rally to the Mahdi) drove Gordon to distraction, with Gordon writing in his diary about them: "Dreadful lot! [236], In 1888, a statue of General Gordon by Hamo Thornycroft was erected in Trafalgar Square, London, exactly halfway between the two fountains. However, in 1953 the statue, minus a large slice of its pedestal, was reinstalled on the Victoria Embankment, in front of the newly-built Ministry of Defence main buildings. Cremation has taken place. [101] Gordon also clashed with Chaill-Long, whom he accused of working as an informant for Aiyub Pasha and called him to his face a "regular failure". [180] Gordon urged that the road from Suakin to Berber be opened, but his request was refused by the government in London, and in April Graham and his forces were withdrawn and Gordon and the Sudan were abandoned. [103] A major problem for Gordon was malaria, which decimated his men, and led him to issue the following order: "Never let the mosquito curtain out of your sight, it is more valuable than your revolver". Their wishes for cremation have been honored. [12] Even an observer as sympathetic as Winston Churchill wrote about Gordon: "Mercury uncontrolled by the force of gravity was not on several occasions more unstable than Charles Gordon. We are very sorry to hear about George, It seems we never seem to get together until we have a reason like this. Only when public pressure to act had become irresistible did the government, with reluctance, send a relief force. Gordon Newsam. The Lord Mayor of London opened a public subscription to raise funds for a permanent memorial to Gordon; this eventually materialised as the Gordon Boys Home, now Gordon's School, in West End, Woking. He first displayed his death wish as he wrote at the time that he had gone "to the Crimea, hoping, without having a hand in it, to be killed". [201] About half of the population took up his offer to promptly leave the city. [213], A merchant, Bordeini Bey, glimpsed Gordon standing on the palace steps in a white uniform looking into the darkness. [184] The Cabinet itself was divided and confused about just what to do about the Sudan crisis, leading to a highly dysfunctional style of decision-making. In him I found a dedicated and consummate professional who was unafraid to get his hands dirty and get the job done. [218] In a sermon, the Bishop of Chichester stated: "Nations who envied our greatness rejoiced now at our weakness and our inability to protect our trusted servant. I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers all the time. [193] Gordon wrote in his diary that Mohammed Aly had captured "a lad of 12 or 14 years of age, and the little chap spoke out boldly, and said he believed Mohamed Ahmed was the Mahdi and that we were dogs. [104] Gordon chose not to meet Muteesa himself, instead sending his chief medical officer, a German convert to Islam, Dr. Emin Pasha, to negotiate a treaty wherein in exchange for allowing the Egyptians to leave the Buganda, the independence of the kingdom was recognised. Write your message of sympathy today. He will also be lovingly remembered by his stepchildren, Sue (Delon) Shurtz of Raymond, Roy (Shannon) West of Hamilton, Ont., Paul (Mary) West of Lacombe, and Beth (Milo) Holthe of Glenwood. [13] He attended diverse congregations, including Roman Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist. [191] Khartoum was surrounded by the Ansar in March 1884, but was not cut off from the outside world for a considerable time afterward. [140] At one point during a meeting with the Council of Ministers, an enraged Gordon picked up a Chinese-English dictionary, looked up the word idiocy, and then pointed at the equivalent Chinese word with one hand while pointing at the ministers with the other. His moods were capricious and uncertain, his passions violent, his impulses sudden and inconsistent. Gordon". [187] In a letter that reached Cairo in December, Gordon wrote: "Farewell. About 2,500 people had been removed before the Mahdi's forces closed in on Khartoum. [119] Gordon also promised that those rebels who laid down their arms would not be punished and would all be given jobs in the administration. [54][55] Only forty men were allowed to wear the Yellow Jacket, which was the Emperor's ceremonial bodyguard, and it was thus a signal honour for Gordon to be allowed to wear it. It was a highly dangerous job that frequently put him under enemy fire, and led to him being wounded for the first time when a Russian sniper put a bullet into him. 1Corinthians 15:54 . [222], Egypt had been in the French sphere of influence until 1882 when the British had established control over Egypt. [18] Despite the best efforts of the Allies, the French failed to take the Malakhov fortress while the British failed to take the Redan fortress on 18 June. [244], Charlton Heston played Gordon in the 1966 epic film Khartoum, which deals with the siege of Khartoum. The Egyptian soldiers were miserable falln conscripts who had no interest in being in the Sudan, much less in fighting the Mahdi, and morale was so poor that Hicks had to chain his men together to prevent them from deserting. "[204] On 14 December 1884, Gordon wrote the last entry in his diary, which read: "Now MARK THIS, if the Expeditionary Force and I ask for no more than two hundred men, does not come in ten days, the town may fall; and I have done my best for the honour of our country. It underwent a series of name changes until 1941 when it moved to its current location in Bloomburg Street, Westminster, as the Gordon Hospital. [59], During a visit to Bulgaria, Gordon and Gessi become involved in an incident when a Bulgarian couple told them that their 17-year-old daughter had been abducted into the harem of an Ottoman pasha, and asked them to free their daughter. More importantly, I saw someone who cared deeply for the people he led, who never failed to make time for them, and practiced a patience and measured calm that I have spent 20 years attempting to replicate. [198], On 24 January, two of the steamers, under Sir Charles Wilson, carrying 20 soldiers of the Sussex Regiment wearing red tunics to clearly identify them as British, were sent on a purely reconnaissance mission to Khartoum, with orders from Wolseley not to attempt to rescue Gordon or bring him ammunition or food. [199] The Pall Mall Gazette, in a front page leader, wrote that Gordon stood "out in clear relief against the Eastern sky. The Reverend Reginald Barnes, who knew him well, describes him as "of the middle height, very strongly built". [192] Gordon's armoured steamers continued to sail in and out of Khartoum with little difficulty for the first six months of the siege, and it was not until September 1884 that the armoured steamers first had trouble reaching the city. [195] Wolseley was a bureaucratic general whose talents lay in administrative work, and as a field commander, Wolseley was slow, methodical, and cautious, making him, in the opinion of Urban, supremely unqualified to lead the relief expedition as he found one excuse after another to proceed up the Nile at a sluggish pace. [201] A note written by Gordon and dated 14 December was sent out by a messenger from Khartoum, who reached Wolseley's army on 30 December 1884. (151 W George St, Batesville, IN 47006). In the 1980s this quiet civil servant . Powers was delighted that the charismatic Gordon had no anti-Catholic prejudices and treated him as an equal. Tablet indicates where General Gordon was killed, Jan. 25, 1885", "Khartoum: blackface Olivier scrapes the bottom of some macabre barrels", "The Political Martyr: General Gordon and the Fall of Kartum", The Journals of Major-Gen. C. G. Gordon, C.B., at Kartoum, Newspaper clippings about Charles George Gordon, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_George_Gordon&oldid=1142434977, Chinese Gordon, Gordon Pasha, Gordon of Khartoum, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 10:23. [96] This bold move proved successful, as one chief then another pledged his loyalty to the Khedive, including Suleiman Zobeir himself, though the remainder retreated to the south. The true joy of George's life were his five beloved and oftentimes spoiled grandchildren: Maeve, Emmett, Isla, Felicity, and Nixon. Dearly. When he moved to Boise, Idaho, George started a furniture factory and designed and manufactured bedroom furniture which was sold nationwide. To plant a tree in memory of George GORDON, please visit. If we can not answer leave a message and we will get back to you as [60] Gordon's father was against his son working in Chinese service, an estrangement that had not been settled at the time of his death, and Gordon felt immense guilt that his father had died before they were reconciled. [12] Gordon disobeyed orders and left on the first ship to China, an action that very much angered the Army's commander, the Duke of Cambridge. He loved his Heavenly Father and his Saviour, and he was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for which he held many positions and worked faithfully in many capacities. George was a wise, strong, hardworking, and unfailingly kind man. He was first and foremost a passionate follower of Jesus Christ and lived his life in humble but firm faith, pressing on towards the upward call he felt from a young age. George Gordon, 75, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, passed away September 11, 2022 from complications related to Multiple System Atrophy and Parkinson's Disease. Survived by his daughter, Melanie (Barry) Thompson. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. Nancy, [219], Many biographies have been written of Gordon, most of them highly hagiographic, such as the one by William Butler. [51], On 1 January 1864, Gordon was informed that a messenger from the Tongzhi Emperor was coming to see him and that he should put on his finest uniform. [96] Gordon was not impressed with the forces of the Egyptian state. I know how much he meant to you and us here at Sterling. [37] Burgevine was an unsavory character known for his greed and alcoholism. View Tribute Book. Baker met with great difficulties and managed little beyond establishing a few posts along the Nile. Following the destruction of Hicks's army, the Liberal Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone, decided that the Sudan was not worth the trouble it would take to keep, and that the region should be abandoned to the Mahdi. He was born January 1, 1942 in Indianapolis to the late Lester Gordon and Helen Waldron Gordon. After he arrived in Britain, Gordon announced to the press that he "did not want to board the tram of the world" and asked to be left alone. Dirk, a tall thin kindly gentleman was a Hebrew and followed the laws of both old and new testaments, observing Passover, the feast of Tabernacles and annual Holy Days on the family farm with other Hebrews. "[231] The memorial is a Grade II listed building. The Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM, on Saturday, November 5, 2022 in THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS- KNIGHT STREET CHAPEL, 206E 200N. Gordon agreed with Lord Elgin that after the Chinese authorities had murdered a group of British and French officers travelling under a white flag to parley that a reprisal was in order, but called the burning of the Summer Palace "vandal-like" and informed his sister in a letter that "it made one's heart sore" to burn it. I'm sharing in your sadness as we remember our beloved George. [173] Gordon immediately confirmed Baring's fears as he started to issue press statements attacking the rebels as "a feeble lot of stinking Dervishes" and demanded he be allowed to "smash up the Mahdi". [207] Gordon defiantly told the merchant: "Go tell all the people of Khartoum that Gordon fears nothing, for God has created him without fear! Gordon clashed repeatedly with Prince Chun, the leader of the war party in Beijing, who rejected Gordon's advice to seek a compromise solution as Gordon warned that the powerful Russian naval squadron in the Yellow Sea would allow the Russians to land at Tianjin and advance on Beijing. williams, clive anthony williams, eileen mabel wilson, radcliffe wood, edwin clifford woodgate, barry reginald james. [179] The hero-worshiping Powers wrote about Gordon: "He is indeed I believe the greatest man of this century". When your purchase is complete, a post will be made on the tribute wall of the deceased signifying the planting of a memorial tree. [137] Gordon arrived in Shanghai in July and met Li Hongzhang, and learned that there was risk of war with Russia. We can only speculate that his increasing religious devotion may have been an outward manifestation of an internal struggle against sexual temptation.[61]. [149], Being unemployed, Gordon decided to go to Palestine, which at the time was part of the Ottoman vilayet of Syria,[150] a region he had long desired to visit, where he would remain for a year (188283). George Harold Folk, 84, of Findlay, passed away peacefully Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, at Mennonite Memorial Home, Bluffton. In memory: Patrick Joseph Guignard Patrick Joseph Guignard, a longtime Prince George resident and logging company owner, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on March 16 at the. Many of Gordon's papers were saved and collected by his two sisters, Helen Clark Gordon, who married Gordon's medical colleague in China, Dr. Moffit, and Mary Augusta, and possibly his niece Augusta, who married Gerald Henry Blunt. Located in the town centre of his birthplace of Woolwich is General Gordon Square, formerly known as General Gordon Place until a major urban landscaped area was developed and the road name changed. Obituary. The Egyptian Prime Minister opened negotiations for Gordon to serve under the Ottoman Khedive, Isma'il Pasha, who was popularly called "Isma'il the Magnificent" on the account of his lavish spending. Second only to his faith, was the great joy George found in his family. George Thomas GORDON. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Northview Funeral Chapel and Cremation Centre, 1490 Highbury Avenue North, London, where George's Life will be celebrated on Thursday, September 8 at 11:00 a.m. Interment of cremated remains at Pond Mills Cemetery. GEORGE GORDON OBITUARY GORDON, George Colburn. Isabella, MO 65676. George Gordon of Isabella, Mo died in his wife's arms at his farm August 30 and was buried that same day in the family cemetery on the farm. woodhams, walter woodhouse, victor frederick. Elated by these successes, Gordon wrote in his diary: "We are going to hold out here forever". [90] During the American Civil War, when the Union blockade had cut off the American South from the world economy, the price of Egyptian cotton, known as "white gold" had skyrocketed as British textile mills turned to Egypt as an alternative source of cotton, causing an economic blossoming of Egypt that ended abruptly in 1865. So shocked and saddened to hear of George's passing. No; the conscience of the nation felt that a strain rested upon it". The insurgents were numerous, and he saw that diplomacy had a better chance of success. A graveside service was held for Dirk at the family farm March 7, 2014 in Isabella, MO. [86] In 1873, Gordon received a definite offer from the Khedive, which he accepted with the consent of the British government, and proceeded to Egypt early in 1874. Share Obituary. [52], Instead, the Ever Victorious Army was given the task of taking the secondary cities of Yesing, Liyang, and Kitang. You rest easy my friend. In October 1880, Gordon paid a two-week visit to Ireland, landing at Cork and travelling over much of the island. You will never hear from me again. . This is the figure which, since April 1959, stands at the Gordon's School in Woking. [48] After Gordon had surrounded Burgevine's force outside of Suzhou, the latter had abandoned his own men and attempted to rejoin the Imperial side, leading Gordon to arrest him and send him to the American consul in Shanghai together with a letter asking that Burgevine be expelled from China. If you are having trouble, click Save Image As and rename the file to meet the character requirement and try again. He was shot! [69] Gordon did not enjoy his celebrity status, and though extremely charismatic, he only kept a limited circle of friends and found dealing with strangers difficult. [204] On arriving at Khartoum on 28 January, the reconnaissance gunboats found that the city had been captured and Gordon had been killed just two days before, coincidentally, two days before his 52nd birthday. If you wish to make a donation, please consider one of the charities listed below. I have little doubt of our having pre-existed; and that also in the time of our pre-existence we were actively employed. [184] In his diary, Gordon wrote: "I own to having been very insubordinate to Her Majesty's Government and its officials, but it is my nature, and I cannot help it. Gordon visited the Seychelles in the summer of 1881 and decided the islands were the location of the Garden of Eden. [123] As Zobeir had broken his oath to the khedive by rebelling, Gordon had given Gessi orders to execute Zobeir, and so later that day Gessi had Zobeir and his men publicly beheaded as an example of what happened to those who broke their oaths. The Grand Valley community is mourning the death of George Gordon, who coupled his philanthropic passions for education and art throughout West Michigan. Note: These are general guidelines; some florists may not be able to operate within these timelines. [152] The Spaffords had lost their home and much of their fortune in the Great Chicago Fire and then had seen one of their sons die of scarlet fever, four of their daughters drowned in a shipwreck, followed by the death of another son from scarlet fever, causing them to turn to religion as consolation for unbearable tragedy, making them very congenial company for Gordon during his stay in Jerusalem.