Mom died peacefully this morning. She was born to Herb and Erminie Wagner in St. John where she lived her entire life. She had 2 sisters, Floxy and Mary, and a brother, Freddy who died as a child.

Before Mom married John Gordon, December 28 ^th 1946, she earned her teaching certificate from Cheney Normal. They built a home at the farm and lived there until 1956. They moved the house into the town of St. John because roads were too bad for Bill and I to get to school. Mom was not about to let Bill and I stay home and bug her all day when we should be getting an education. They lived in that home until 2004.

In 18 years they had 4 children, Bill (wife Laura) Pasco; Jeff (wife Vicki) Pasco; Donna (husband Steve Loomis) St. John; and Lynne (husband Brent Hite) Palm Springs. Mom worked hard taking care of us and Dad. She had a big garden every year. With the animals we had, the freezer was always full and every fall the shelves in the basement always filled up with freshly canned vegetables and fruit. Mom was a great cook. She loved to put together dinners with her sister, Floxy Webb and sister-in-law Georgia Gordon for large gatherings of our extended families. As a depression kid, she was always making us clean up our plate. It is a habit I wish now that I could break.

One of life's lessons Mom imparted to us was that we had to be self-reliant and gave us a sense of self-worth. She taught us by the way she lived that we could do anything we put effort into. She taught herself to sew and cross-stitch and was excellent at both. Her creative side showed in the parade costumes she made for us as kids, the many community floats she worked on with the other moms and the cake decorating that, again, was self-taught. When we were in trouble, no matter what for, Mom never said, "With till your Father gets home." She was quick to hand out "correctional measures" but always with love.

Mom and Dad loved to travel and be around people. Mom's parents lived in Hawaii and it was one of their favorite places. They would go right after Christmas and stay as long as they could. When Lynne was in grade school they would pack her up and take her with them. She would enroll in school while there. Later they bought a Condo in Hawaii Kai and would spend more time in the islands. When we visited you could tell they were really happy and "it beats sitting around the table at home where it is really cold."

Mom really didn't die this morning. She just moved on. She is now with Dad, who she missed terribly, and in the arms of the Almighty. See you later Mom!

Memorials can be made to any local organization of choice.