John E. Gordon

John E. Gordon, 56, of Worcester, a husband, son, brother, uncle, friend, and creative mechanical genius, passed away on Saturday, August 14, 2021, at UMass Hospital.

John is survived by his loving wife, Tanya J. (Erti) Gordon, with whom he shared his life for nearly twenty years; his mother, Violet A. (Masters) Gordon of Paxton; four siblings, Beverley Mulcahy and her husband William, and Bobbi Lang and her husband James, all of Paxton, Barry Brown and his wife Christine of New Brunswick, Canada, and James Ferguson and his partner Susan of Winthrop; his father in law, James Erti of Worcester; two sisters in law, Angela Erti and Maria Generelli, both of Worcester; nieces and nephews, Robert, Catherine, Mitchell, Sydney, James, and Isabella.  He was predeceased by his father, Edward P. Gordon, and by his mother-in-law, Rosemary Erti.  John was born in Worcester and grew up in “the woods” of West Boylston and graduated from West Boylston High School.

John worked as an elevator mechanic for over thirty-five years, he began his career working with R.E. Chapman Company; he later started his own company, J & S Elevator Repair, before going to work with Eagle Elevator and then Buckley Elevator Company, from where he retired in 2020.  He was a member of The International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 41, and The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 4.

John loved “roughing it up north” at his camp in Pittsburg, New Hampshire, where he often retreated for “throttle therapy” on his snowmobile or four-wheeler.  He enjoyed the peacefulness of the woods, the serenity of casting a line while fishing, or rowing Tanya around Lake Francis; but he also enjoyed the excitement of a good boxing match.  He felt that his camp should have an elevator, so he began the process of drilling an elevator shaft in his spare time.  He was a great man with a love for nature, a love for family, and a tremendous sense of humor.

John was an inventive mechanical creator and fabricator, he started creating tools and devices at an early age. His first invention, at eight years old, was a lawn mower/baby carriage; as an adult, he was very proud of a more practical creation, a custom-built drill rig, that he used for drilling elevator shafts, post holes for fences, and water wells.

Friends and relatives are invited to gather with his family, on Friday, August 20, from 9 a.m. until his Service begins at 11 a.m. in MERCADANTE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 370 Plantation Street, Worcester.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to: The Society for The Protection of New Hampshire Forests, a group that supports land conservation and protects mountains, fields, forests and waters in NH, by visiting www.forestsociety.org .