[194] Though the telegraph lines to Cairo were cut, Gordon used the remaining telegraph lines to build his own telegraph network within Khartoum linking the men holding the walls of Khartoum to the Governor-General's palace, thus keeping him well-informed of what was happening. The Mahdi had given strict orders to his three Khalifas not to kill Gordon. George GORDON Obituary (2017) - The New Zealand Herald - Legacy.com file size: 2 MB. Published on December 13, 2020 Plant a Living Memorial In October 1880, Gordon paid a two-week visit to Ireland, landing at Cork and travelling over much of the island. A militia of Europeans and Asians was raised for the defence of the city and placed under the command of an American, Frederick Townsend Ward, and occupied the country to the west of Shanghai. [65], Faught maintained that Gordon was a heterosexual whose Christian beliefs led him to maintain his virginity right up to his death, because he believed that sexual intercourse was incompatible with his faith. [132], Gordon rejected Leopold's offers, partly because he was still emotionally attached to the Sudan and partly because he disliked the idea of working for Leopold's Congo Association, which was a private company owned by the King. During peak periods such as Valentines Day, Memorial Day and most holidays, florists are not always able to keep up to demand. We can only speculate that his increasing religious devotion may have been an outward manifestation of an internal struggle against sexual temptation.[61]. Gordon despite or rather, because of his war hero status disliked publicity and tried to avoid the press when he was in Britain. [187], By the end of 1884, both the garrison and the population of Khartoum were starving to death; there were no horses, donkeys, cats, or dogs left in Khartoum as the people had eaten all of them. Lorraine was born June 16, 1928 in Rochester the daughter of John and Edna (Brugger) Angie. [93], Gordon remained in the Equatoria province until October 1876. Your search results for obituary: 24 newspaper articles contained information about obituary filtered by: Newspaper title: Wishaw Press Date from: 1st Jan 1947 - Date to: 31st Dec 1947 As such, Gordon's role in suppressing the rebellion has caused his reputation to suffer in China, in addition to his role as a general in service of the Manchu-dominated Qing government, which systematically oppressed the Han Chinese majority. [201], Gordon and the Mahdi never met, but the two men, both charismatic and intensely religious soldiers who saw themselves as fighting for God, had developed a grudging mutual respect. The wound was only slight and Gordon was soon back in action, fighting his last battle at Chang-chou in May 1864. [40] Gordon's bravery in battle, his string of victories, apparent immunity to bullets and his intense, blazing blue eyes led many Chinese to believe that Gordon had supernatural powers and had harnessed the Qi (the mystical life-force traditionally believed in China to govern everything) in some extraordinary way. 22/01/2023 [77] Together with his sister Augusta, Gordon often prayed to be released from their "vile bodies" in which their spirits were "imprisoned" so that their souls might be joined with God. [199] The Pall Mall Gazette, in a front page leader, wrote that Gordon stood "out in clear relief against the Eastern sky. Under the Chinese system of familial responsibility, all family members of a rebel were equally guilty even if they had nothing to do with the rebellious individual's acts. If there is anything that I admire nearly as much as the superb scholarship of Zeng Guofan, it is the military qualities of this fine officer. Many of Gordon's papers were saved and collected by his two sisters, Helen Clark Gordon, who married Gordon's medical colleague in China, Dr. Moffit, and Mary Augusta, and possibly his niece Augusta, who married Gerald Henry Blunt. In a House of Commons speech on 5 May 1948, then opposition leader Winston Churchill spoke out in favour of the statue's return to its original location: "Is the right honorable Gentleman [the Minister of Works] aware that General Gordon was not only a military commander, who gave his life for his country, but, in addition, was considered very widely throughout this country as a model of a Christian hero, and that very many cherished ideals are associated with his name? Proceeding him in death was his legal partner and beloved step-son Dirk DeJong and the family's special friend U.S Representive Helen Chenowith. I've worked with George the past five years and have a great deal of respect for him. The American historian John Semple Galbraith described Gordon as suffering from "utter boredom" during his time in Mauritius. [13] Gordon was especially impressed with Philippians 1:21 where St. Paul wrote: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain", a passage he underlined in his Bible and often quoted. I have little doubt of our having pre-existed; and that also in the time of our pre-existence we were actively employed. [151], In Jerusalem, Gordon lived with an American lawyer, Horatio Spafford, and his wife, Anna Spafford, who were the leaders of the American Colony in the Holy City. Obituary | George G. Gordon of Indianapolis, Indiana | Matthews Mortuary Second only to his faith, was the great joy George found in his family. Always giving Share Obituary. [89] As the attempts of his grandfatherMuhammad Ali the Greatto depose the ruling Ottoman family in favour of his own family had failed due to the opposition of Russia and Britain, the imperialistic Ismai'il had turned his attention southwards and was determined to build an Egyptian empire in Africa, planning on subjugating the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa. [97] Baker's annual salary as governor of Equatoria had been 10,000 (Egyptian pounds, about US$1 million in today's money) and Ismail was astonished when Gordon refused that salary, saying that 2,000 per year was more than enough for him. George E. Harrington, 86 of Oswego. Suddenly at home on Wednesday 25 January 2017; aged 86 years. I had the pleasure of working with George for many years at Sterling Marking Products. [51] In China, the penalty for rebellion was death. [187] In a letter that reached Cairo in December, Gordon wrote: "Farewell. [142] After meeting with him there, Hart described Gordon as "very eccentric" and "spending hours in prayer", writing that: "As much I like and respect him, I must say he is 'not all there'. One begins to wonder whether the man had any faults at all". [85] In 1872, Gordon was sent to inspect the British military cemeteries in the Crimea, and when passing through Constantinople, he made the acquaintance of the Prime Minister of Egypt, Raghib Pasha. [19] It was said at the British HQ that, "If you want to know what the Russians are up to, send for Charlie Gordon. and, like Lawrence, I have tried to do my duty. I know if I was chief I would never employ myself for I am incorrigible". He devoted himself fully to being a wonderful father to his three sons, Thomas, Greg, and Curtis, raising them up to be men of strong faith and good character. The Egyptian soldiers were miserable falln conscripts who had no interest in being in the Sudan, much less in fighting the Mahdi, and morale was so poor that Hicks had to chain his men together to prevent them from deserting. [193] Gordon waged a very vigorous defence, sending out his armoured steamers to engage the Ansar camps along the Blue Nile while he regularly made raids on the besiegers that often gave the Madhi's forces a "bloody nose". In his 62nd year, George Gordon passed unexpectedly into the presence of his Lord and Saviour. In his 62nd year, George Gordon passed unexpectedly into the presence of his Lord and Saviour. View obituary. I shared a busride home with him a long time ago and we had the most pleasant conversation. [206], A particular aspect of Gordon's personality that stood out was his death wish, as everyone who knew him was convinced that he wanted to die. Planting will take place in Spring or Summer of the same year. Telephone: 417-273-4967 [232], Gordon's memory, as well as his work in supervising the town's riverside fortifications, is commemorated in Gravesend; the embankment of the Riverside Leisure Area is known as the Gordon Promenade, while Khartoum Place lies just to the south. "[187], At another point, a death-obsessed Gordon wrote in his diary: "Better a bullet to the brain than to flicker out unheeded". [219], In 1885, Gordon achieved the martyrdom he had been seeking at Khartoum as the British press portrayed him as a saintly Christian hero and martyr who had died nobly resisting the Islamic onslaught of the Mahdi. He will be lovingly remembered by Sybil, his wife of the past 32 years; his children Dale (Afton) of Las Vegas, Holly of Edmonton, Donald (Vivian) of Red Deer, Kenneth (Beverly) of Red Deer and Lorraine (Dick) Brantner of Wrentham, as well as numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. GORDON, George George Gordon of Isabella, Mo died in his wife's arms at his farm August 30 and was buried that same day in the family cemetery on the farm. Matters then remained quiet until March 1877, when Gordon proceeded to Massawa, hoping to make peace with the Abyssinians. I fear that there will be treachery in the garrison, and all will be over by Christmas. [96] This bold move proved successful, as one chief then another pledged his loyalty to the Khedive, including Suleiman Zobeir himself, though the remainder retreated to the south. GEORGE GORDON, LL.D. [187] The merchant recalled Gordon's response: "He called up the guard and gave the orders to shoot me if I moved" and ordered all of the lamps in the palace to be lit up as brightly as possible. Words cannot express how saddened we are to learn of George's sudden loss. [82] During his second trip to Romania, Gordon insisted on living with ordinary people as he travelled over the countryside, commenting that Romanian peasants "live like animals with no fuel, but reeds", and spent one night at the home of a poor Jewish craftsman whom Gordon praised for his kindness in sharing the single bedroom with his host, his wife, and their seven children. American historian James Perry wrote: "But instead of following instructions, he stayed put, longing for martyrdom. The "Ever-Victorious Army" resumed its high tempo advance, leading to the Battle of Changzhou, and culminating in the capture of Changzhou Fu, the principal military base of the Taipings in the region. He will be lovingly remembered by Sybil, his wife of the past 32 years; his . In New York, Paris, and Berlin, pictures of Gordon appeared in shop windows with black lining as all over the West, the fallen general was seen as a Christ-like man who sacrificed himself resisting the advance of Islam. Finally, the boats sent were not there to relieve Gordon, who was not expected to agree to abandon the city, and the small force and limited supplies on board could have offered scant military support for the besieged in any case. Besides working to end slavery, Gordon carried out a series of reforms such as abolishing torture and public floggings where those opposed to the Egyptian state were flogged with a whip known as the kourbash made of buffalo hide. ObituaryRev. [12] This account was very popular with the British press as it contained much Christian imagery with Gordon as a Christlike figure dying passively for the sins of all humanity. Public opinion would be satisfied with "Chinese Gordon" going to the Sudan, but at the same time, Gordon was given such a limited mandate that the evacuation would proceed as planned. Obituary for George Gordon | Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Service [12], To block the French, a British force under Herbert Kitchener was sent to conquer the Mahdiyah state and defeated the Ansar at the Battle of Omdurman in 1898. [4], In 1843, Gordon was devastated when his favourite sibling, his sister Emily, died of tuberculosis, writing years later, "humanly speaking it changed my life, it was never the same since". He was deeply loved by all who knew him and he will be dearly missed every day, with joyful anticipation of an eventual heavenly reunion. [257], Nutting contended that the conflict between Gordon's devoutly-held Christian ideals and his sexuality made Gordon deeply ashamed of himself and he attempted to expiate his wretched, sinful nature by seeking a glorious death in battle. Celebrating the life of George Melvin Gordon E-mail: GeorgeGordonsSchoolofcommonlaw@usa.net Wade echoed Hart, writing that Gordon had changed since his last time in China, and was now "unbalanced", being utterly convinced that all of his ideas came from God, making him dangerously unreasonable since Gordon now believed that everything he did was the will of God. [65] Urban wrote: It is possible that he had sexual feelings for these urchins, but there is no evidence that he ever acted upon them. George Gordon James Obituary - The Arizona Republic I'm sharing in your sadness as we remember our beloved George. I got to know George thru his sons, Greg and Tom, long before I actually met him. [156], The year 1881 was the Islamic year 1298, and to mark the coming of the new century, Ahmed announced that he was the Mahdi, and proclaimed a jihad against the Egyptian state. [123] As Zobeir had broken his oath to the khedive by rebelling, Gordon had given Gessi orders to execute Zobeir, and so later that day Gessi had Zobeir and his men publicly beheaded as an example of what happened to those who broke their oaths. Due to seasonal conditions, the tree planting takes place during the spring and summer. The importance of saying "I love you" during COVID-19, Effective ways of dealing with the grieving process, Solutions to show your sympathy safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. The dead lie where they fall, and are, in some cases, trodden quite flat by passers by". [205] A chain-smoking Gordon constantly paced the roof of his palace during the day, looking vainly for smoke on the Nile indicating that the steamers were coming, while spending much of the rest of his time in prayer. Death Notices - Ross-shire Journal He loved their wives, Chelsea, Janine, and Samantha as if they were his own, a trait learned from the great and limitless love he received from his parents-in-law, Tom and Edna Lewis. At the beginning of 1884, Gordon had no interest in the Sudan and had just been hired to work as an officer with the newly-established Congo Free State. [96] Gordon was not impressed with the forces of the Egyptian state. He had an unfaltering testimony of the Gospel, which he happily shared with others, particularly when he and Sybil served two proselytizing missions, one in Edmonton and the other in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was predeceased by : his parents, Charles Ross and Sara Tabener Ross; his siblings, William Ross, Charles Ross and Betsy Ross Meyer; and his siblings-in-law, Delleney Ruff and Melinda Ruff. Always kind My Prayers are with all your family especially Nancy and children and Grandchildren. Obituary | Gordon Shaffer of George, Iowa | Jurrens Funeral Homes Goodbye, C. G. In a world moving inexorably towards conformity, it would be well to remember Gordon of Khartoum. Among his best-known works are the lengthy narratives Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage; many of his shorter lyrics in . [176], Gordon's abrupt mood swings and contradictory advice confirmed the Cabinet's view of him as mercurial and unstable. [60], Following the death of his father, he undertook extensive social work in Gravesend, feeding homeless boys whom he found begging on the street while also attempting to find them homes and jobs. [191] Khartoum was surrounded by the Ansar in March 1884, but was not cut off from the outside world for a considerable time afterward. George Gordon Obituary - Fort Worth, TX - Dignity Memorial your email below for our complimentary daily grief messages. [59] Gordon disapproved of the forts he was building at the mouth of Thames to guard against a possible French invasion, regarding them as expensive and useless. [179], Gordon made all of his personal dispatches to London public (there was no Official Secrets Act at the time) in attempts to win public opinion over to his policy, writing on one dispatch: "Not secret as far as I am concerned". [48] Gordon also had the pleasure of defeating Burgevine (whom Gordon detested), who had raised a mercenary force and joined the Taipings. Mark Urban argued that Gordon's final stand was "significant" because it was "a perversion of the democratic process" as he "managed to subvert government policy", making the beginning of a new era where decision-makers had to consider the power of media. [198], On 24 January, two of the steamers, under Sir Charles Wilson, carrying 20 soldiers of the Sussex Regiment wearing red tunics to clearly identify them as British, were sent on a purely reconnaissance mission to Khartoum, with orders from Wolseley not to attempt to rescue Gordon or bring him ammunition or food. George J Gordon III (Trey) of Azle, TX passed away May 1, 2022. During his "career break" in the Holy Land, the very religious Gordon sought to explore his faith and biblical sites. [28] Gordon returned to Britain in late 1858, and was appointed as an instructor at Chatham. George GORDON / GEORGE / HANSLOW | Obituary | Vancouver Sun and Province A. After an order is placed, our forestry partners will plant the tree in the area of greatest need (nearest the funeral home), according to the planting schedule for the year. [69], King Leopold II then asked Gordon again to take charge of the Congo Free State. He was 96. [118], Gordon carried no weapons except for his rattan cane (though the bashi-bazouks were armed with rifles and swords), but Gordon showed utterly no fear while his interpreter and the bashi-bazouks were visibly nervous as the rebels numbered about 3,000. Relations between Egypt and Abyssinia (later renamed Ethiopia) had become strained due to a dispute over the district of Bogos, and war broke out in 1875. [103] A major problem for Gordon was malaria, which decimated his men, and led him to issue the following order: "Never let the mosquito curtain out of your sight, it is more valuable than your revolver". Mac Gordon: Governors that might have been | The Enterprise Journal [56] The British Army promoted Gordon to lieutenant-colonel on 16 February 1864,[57] and he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 9 December 1864. George Gordon Ross Obituary (1933 - 2023) | Columbia, South Carolina [187], Gordon energetically organised the defence of Khartoum right from the moment he arrived in Khartoum, using his training as a military engineer to turn the city into a fortress. At Tamai on 13 March 1884, Graham was attacked by the Haddendowa (whom the British nicknamed "Fuzzy Wuzzies") whom he defeated, but in the course of the battle, the Haddendowa broke a Black Watch square, an action later celebrated in the Kipling poem "Fuzzy-Wuzzy". In 1877, he wrote in a letter: "This life is only one of a series of lives which our incarnated part has lived. Gordon personally explored Lake Albert and the Victorian Nile, pushing on through the thick, humid jungle and steep ravines of Uganda amid heavy rains and vast hordes of insects in the summer of 1876 with an average daily temperature of 95F (35C), down to Lake Kyoga. George G. Gordon 80, of Indianapolis, passed away December 18, 2022. Located in the town centre of his birthplace of Woolwich is General Gordon Square, formerly known as General Gordon Place until a major urban landscaped area was developed and the road name changed. Planting will take place in Spring of the following year. George married Lola Shafer and they divorced. [258], More balanced biographies are Charley Gordon: An Eminent Victorian Reassessed (1978) by Charles Chenevix Trench and Gordon: The Man Behind the Legend (1993) by John Pollock. [40] In Sudan, Sudanese historians have traditionally focused on the Mahdi and his rebellion, with Gordon only being relevant as the enemy general during the Siege of Khartoum, and his abolitionist work largely ignored. [159], With public opinion demanding that Gordon be sent to the Sudan, on 16 January 1884, the Gladstone government decided to send him there, albeit with the very limited mandate to report on the situation and advise on the best means of carrying out the evacuation. Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at the Jurrens Funeral Home in George, IA with Pastor Jeremy Winter, officiating. [5] After her death, her place as Gordon's favourite sibling was taken by his very religious older sister Augusta, who nudged her brother towards religion.