Gordon Nordstrom, 81, Garrison, died peacefully at his home on Tuesday, April 3, 2018, after a long battle with cancer. A rosary and prayer service will be held on Saturday at 11:00 am. Services have been moved to St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Garrison. Burial will be at a later date at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan.
Gordon was born to Wester and Evangeline (Levandowsky) Nordstrom on October 11, 1936 in Sisseton, SD. He attended grade school at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Watertown, SD. His family moved to Clear Lake, SD where he graduated from high school in 1954. In December of that year, Gordon enlisted in the US Army and was honorably discharged in 1957. While serving in the army, Gordon married his high school sweetheart, Joy Reichling, in December of 1956.
In 1959, Gordon and Joy opened "Gordon's Garage" in Clear Lake, SD as an independent mechanical repair shop. In 1963, Gordon was hired by Clear Lake Implement, where he worked until 1966, when he began his teaching career at Lake Area Vocational Technical Center in Watertown, SD. While teaching at the school, Gordon was instrumental in the start of the Farm Equipment Mechanics Program. In 1969, he began his long career with the John Deere Company in Bloomington, MN where he was assigned the Bismarck, ND territory. During his work with John Deere, Gordon and Joy served the Garrison area, where they relocated in 1984. Gordon retired from John Deere on December 31, 1994.
Gordon's interests were many. He enjoyed building, just about anything! In his younger years he loved driving race cars and airplanes. Anything that had involved an engine had his total attention. One of his favorite pastimes, which he called "work", was farming. He also loved to garden.
Gordon's true passion was spending time with his family in the outdoors. They spent countless weekends fishing, camping, and hunting, dogs included of course! He enjoyed taking Joy hunting to many different states for various types of animals. A more important priority began in 1982 with the arrival of grandchildren, where Gordon was instrumental in the modification of their behavior practices!
Gordon is survived by the love of his life and wife of 61 years, Joy, Garrison; children, Ron (Cheryl) Nordstrom, Bismarck, Bobbi Jo Vigness, Minot, Gary Nordstrom, Riverdale; 8 grandchildren, Ryan, Ashley, Colby, Carly, Nikki, Brian, Brandon and Nathan; 17 great grandchildren; sister, Gail (Keith) Stroschein, Fl.; brothers-in-law, Buddy (Sally) Nunda, SD, Mike Reichling, Clear Lake, SD; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother Angie, step-father, Lawrence, mother-in-law, Mary, father-in-law Alfred, sister-in-law, Mary Louis, and great granddaughter, Brielle.
In lieu of flowers the family prefers memorials to the Garrison Ambulance Service or the Garrison Fire Dept.