Skip to content

BSCF University of New Brunswick 1955;

MF Yale University 1957;

PHD Yale University 1964; FRSC in 1994

February 20, 1933 – February 2, 2013

Gordon was born in Emerson Manitoba on February 20, 1933 and died peacefully in Victoria on Saturday February 2, 2013, surrounded by family members.

Gordon was predeceased by his father, Wallace; mother, Marjorie, and sister Doris. He will be dearly missed by his wife, Laura; his children: David, Marjorie, Kristine, and Michael; daughter-in-law, Katharine; son-in-laws, Ross and Michael; grandchildren, Madison, Lauren, and Meg; as well as his brother, Jack, and his nieces, Wendy, Shelley, and Patricia.

Gordon worked for the Canadian Forestry Service in New Brunswick from 1955 to 1974, first as a research scientist and eventually as the Program Manager of Resources Research. In 1975 he took up a professional position in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of New Brunswick (UNB). In 1983, after a period as the assistant Minister of Forestry for the Province of New Brunswick, Gordon became Dean of Forestry at UNB.

Gordon and Laura left New Brunswick in 1993 when Gordon became Professor of Forestry and Head of the Department of Forest Resource Management at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He was at UBC until his retirement in 1998.

Gordon saw the forests for the trees: in his scholarly pursuits, research always went hand in hand with teaching and his thinking reached far beyond the academic community. His colleagues and his students will remember him as passionately committed to sustainable management policy that has had a lasting impact on Canadian forests.

He was also a sailor and a skier and he taught all four of his children the wonders of both sports. In his later years, when struck by dementia, he continued to teach his family and friends patience, understanding, and acceptance.

A Memorial Service will be held at St Stephen’s United Church in Qualicum Beach BC on Saturday February 16th at 1:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Class of 1955 Forestry Alumni Scholarship at the University of New Brunswick in Gordon’s name. Donations may be mailed to Office of Development – Donor Relations, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, NB 3EB 5A3 or on line at www.unb.ca/donations.

Condolences and any memories can be shared with the family by visiting www.yatesfuneral.ca

YATES FUNERAL SERVICE & CREMATORIUM

250-248-5859 in care of arrangements



Secondary Title

Your condolences will be approved within one business day. You will need a valid Facebook account. Please email us if you have any questions.