Gordon Leroy Bacon

Gordon was born on February 20, 1931, the only child of Melvin and Mae Bacon in Dawson, Minnesota.

Gordon lived a genuinely American life. Born during the Great Depression, his early years saw his family’s fortunes steadily deteriorate. He called himself the “original latchkey child,” with both parents working to stay ahead of the abyss that poverty had created in rural America. Gordon began working on his grandmother’s farm at age 9. When WWII brought severe rationing to the country, Gordon’s family was relatively unaffected – no car meant no need for gasoline or tires, and most of their food came from the farm.

Gordon had his 15 minutes of (local) fame when the Dawson High School basketball team went to State as the only undefeated team that year. While they failed to win the Championship, the ‘49ers set records that stand to this day.

In order to join the Dawson National Guard unit, Gordon, aged 16 at the time, misrepresented his age and signed on. Little did he know that at 19, his unit would be federalized to face the bloody conflict in Korea, though by then, his enlistment was nearly up, and he was no longer eligible to be sent overseas.

Gordon attended South Dakota State University, receiving a BS degree in Printing and Rural Journalism. While in college, he became Managing Editor of the weekly newspaper, and during the summers, he worked at a small newspaper in Alexandria, MN. This is where he met Marguerite Wefald, a student at the University of Minnesota and the daughter of a state senator. This was Gordon’s first and last courtship, and Marguerite became his wife, by his side for the rest of his life.

The young couple moved to Little Falls, Minnesota, and started a family.

Gordon’s career in journalism and later, public relations was one of innovation and accomplishment. As Gordon moved from newspaper journalism to the corporate world, he uprooted the family from their home in Little Falls and brought them to Omaha. He made steady progress in the energy industry, eventually leading him to his last assignment with a company called Enron. Wisdom and good fortune led him to retire just before that doomed company moved to Houston.

As a talented writer, Gordon thrived in the business world. But it was his family that was the center of his life. He and Marguerite had three children, Roger, Sheila, and James. As a family, they developed a passion for the rugged terrain of our American National Parks. For years, the Bacon family traveled cross country by car, deep into the West and Canada. The Bacon children often describe life in that family as a carefree “Beaver Cleaver” experience.

Gordon and Marguerite had a marriage and partnership that lasted 67 years. As empty nesters, they traveled the world. Their love for Arizona was a shared passion, and for 35 years, they explored the state, and indeed much of the American West, in hiking boots.

The character and values Gordon and Marguerite brought to their marriage and family, including eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild, have endured and will be their legacy for generations. Gordon was a triumphant but humble man. His last word was “lucky.”