Last Wednesday at 11 a.m. Royal Canadian Legion Branch 212 held a Legion Military and Celebration of the life of Gilbert Walker (Gil) Gordon. It took place at 7771 rue Bouvier in LaSalle.
The ceremony honoured someone who was an active member of various Legion branches since 1947.
He was a real Legionnaire,” said Fred Jennings, current president of LaSalle Branch 212. “There’s not many of them. Most people pay their dues and they come out once in a while. Not him. He was active all the time.”
Jennings and Gordon knew each other well, having worked together on the 50th Anniversary committee of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 212 in LaSalle in 1999. They had also served together on the executive over many years since Gordon was president of the branch. Gordon also volunteered for branch 8590 in Lachine for a time.
I can show you all the jobs he had from way back in the 1940s,” said Jennings. “Even up until a year ago, he was chairman of the branch. He’s a past president, a life member, in charge of the poppy fund, in charge of membership. He was a life member. That’s not easy to do. Out of our 1400 members since 1948, we’ve had ten life members.”
Jennings said that Gordon had been suffering after losing his second wife, Shirley Brewer, a few weeks ago. Brewer had also been active in Branch 212, as had been Gordon’s first wife, Edna.
Given the family’s long association with the branch, they are asking that donations be made in Gil’s honour to THE POPPY FUND, c/o the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 212, 7771, rue Bouvier, LaSalle, Quebec H8N 2G6.
Gordon’s obituary currently appears in the Gazette.
