Obituary of Myra Lovisa Gordon

Myra Lovisa (Tweed) Gordon died peacefully at Kindred Skilled Nursing Facility in Santa Cruz, California on March 3, 2015 at the age of 94. She was born on October 5, 1920 in Kawkawlin, Michigan and moved to California when she was five years old. Myra was the daughter of Dr. Homer Nelson Tweed and Dr. Laura Lovisa (Parsons) Tweed, both of whom were osteopathic surgeons who studied with A.T. Still, the founder of osteopathic medicine. Myra originally planned to become a physician herself, but after her marriage to Burton LeRoy ("Roy") Gordon, and the arrival of their first child, she gave up her pre-med courses at San Francisco State College and worked as an x-ray technician at UC Hospital to help finance her husband's studies. When Roy eventually became a professor, Myra continued to contribute by providing him editorial suggestions for manuscripts, typing and mimeographing tests, and then correcting them—sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. After her four children were grown she worked for twenty-five years at H&R BLOCK in Santa Cruz. As a volunteer she also drove cancer patients to their appointments, and over the years she donated ten gallons of blood to the American Red Cross. Myra was a person of many talents. She was an excellent tennis player and an avid swimmer, and was able to accomplish virtually any task that required skill, precision, or artistic ability. As a child she played violin in a string quartet with her siblings, performing at various public functions in South Pasadena, where her parents had their medical practice. In her teens Myra sang on the radio with two friends in the "JEM trio" (named for Jean, Eunice and Myra). As an adult she continued to play the piano, and in her church choir she sang soprano, alto or tenor, as needed. Even after moving to Kindred, Myra still enjoyed attending concerts of the Santa Cruz Chorale, which is conducted by her son-in-law, Christian Grube. Myra passed away four days after the death of her husband, Dr. Burton LeRoy ("Roy") Gordon (see Roy's obituary). She is survived by her children, Anna Louise Gordon (Dr. Joanne Scheibman); Dr. Karen Joyce Gordon-Grube (Prof. Christian Grube); Dr. Robin Alan Gordon (Dorothee [Prause] Gordon); and Janice Ellen (Gordon) von Arnim (Martin Klinkott); grandchildren Katherine Maria Elena Córdova, Dixie Karin Grube, Rosemary Lynn Córdova, Deborah von Arnim, and David Christoph von Arnim; and great-grandchildren John Patrick Stewart Dalton, Isabel Teresa Bliss Dalton, and Lazaro Santiago Córdova-Rivero. She is also survived by her beloved sister, Doris (Tweed) Corning; and several nieces and nephews. Per her wishes, no public service will be held; she will be laid to rest at Santa Cruz Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Meals on Wheels or the American Cancer Society.