John was the seventh of eight children born to Thomas Clark Gorman and Mary Veronica Gorman. When he was three, the family moved to Mt. Angel, OR, and shortly thereafter to Woodburn, OR, where he spent the rest of his childhood. John attended Mt. Angel Prep High School, and it was during high school that John met the love of his life, Patricia Anne Wagner. After attending St. Martin’s College for one year, John served two years in the US Army. He then returned to the Willamette Valley where he and Pat were married in Mt. Angel, OR, on June 9, 1956.
John and Pat moved to Eugene where John attended the University of Oregon, graduating with a business degree in 1958 while also working at First National Bank. John’s career soon took a turn toward computer programming after he scored highly in an aptitude test administered by the bank. With a growing family, John and Pat moved to Portland in 1962.
In 1971, John co-founded the company that would become Timberline Software. As CEO and President, John’s leadership and his dedication to employees and customers drove Timberline to the top of its market. Even after he retired in 1998, John was held in high esteem among his many co-workers, and they stayed in contact through the years.
John was a lifelong Catholic and a man of deep faith. John considered his marriage to Pat and their family together to be his greatest success and blessing. He was a kind and generous man who always looked for and saw the best in others. John was a man of integrity, with a keen wit and delightful sense of humor.
John is survived by his wife Patricia, his brother Lawrence (Louise), his children Maria Kaempf (Joe), Therese Leineweber (Bill), Susan Hulseman (Peter), Kathy Bellairs (Brian), Julie Gorman, Laura Martin (Brian), John Gorman (Kristin), Matt Gorman (Kristin), Zach Gorman (Zhi), 26 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00am on December 15, 2022 at St. Cecilia Church in Beaverton, OR. A reception will follow at the Beaverton Library.
Gifts in John’s memory may be made to Providence Children’s Health Foundation https://foundation.providence.org/oregon/childrens or by check to 830 NE 47th Ave, Portland,
OR 97213). Arrangements by Pegg, Paxson & Springer Funeral Chapel.
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