CORDON (COMMANDER, RET.), Loren Dale

The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, Arizona Wednesday, August 01, 2012 Loren Dale Gordon (Commander, Ret.) of Wickenburg, passed away July 23. Loren was born Dec. 10, 1933 in Barr Lake, Colo., to the late Melvin and Maude (Rimmington) Gordon. He graduated from Douglas County High School in Castle Rock, Colo., and Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., with a bachelor of arts. Loren then devoted his life to the U.S. Coast Guard. He enlisted in 1954 and over the years he served in many capacities from a deck watch officer in Alameda, Calif., to a commanding officer in Vietnam, and his final assignment before retiring was an executive officer for the Marine Safety Office in Anchorage, Alaska. While stationed in Washington, D.C., the Coast Guard provided Loren with an excellent opportunity for program development. He wrote a model program for the Coast Guard responsibilities in port safety and marine environmental protection and also participated in the capacity of congressional liaison for these programs. Loren retired from the Coast Guard in 1977 and then managed Cook Inlet Response Organization (CIRO) in Anchorage. He developed and implemented innovative programs for CIRO in regards to oil spills and protection of marine life in Alaska. Loren retired in 1986 to Mesa, Ariz., and moved to Wickenburg later with his wife Ruthie. He is survived by his wife Ruth, brother Mearl Gordon of Bullhead City, numerous nieces and nephews, great nephews, his godson Joshua Seely, and Jeremy Seely who is following in Loren’s footsteps in the U.S. Coast Guard, and a cousin Gordon Pryor in Wickenburg. In addition to his parents, Loren was preceded in death by three brothers Arlie, Ray and Kevin, and a sister Alice. Loren’s funeral services will be held Aug. 11 at 2 p.m. at Kellis Draper American Legion Post 12 in Wickenburg. Arrangements are by David’s Desert Chapel Funeral Home of Wickenburg.