Esther Gordon, 100, of Breckenridge, MN, formerly Wahpeton, ND, passed away on Friday, November 23, 2018 at CHI St. Francis Nursing Home in Breckenridge. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, with a prayer service at 7:00 pm at Vertin-Munson Funeral Home in Wahpeton. Visitation will continue on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 10:00 am, followed by her funeral service at 11:00 am at Evergreen United Methodist Church in Wahpeton, with Rev.
Jen Tyler officiating. Burial will take place at Fairview Memorial Gardens in Wahpeton. Donations may be made in her memory to Evergreen UMC or the American Cancer Society.
Arrangements are entrusted to Vertin-Munson Funeral Home. Born in Barnes County north of Valley City, North Dakota, on September 29, 1918, Esther attended Ashtabula Rural School in Barnes County and graduated from Valley City High School. She attended Valley City State Teachers college and received a standard degree in 1938 and her bachelor’s degree in education in 1975.
A born teacher, she taught in rural schools near Great Bend, North Dakota, for eight years. Later she taught second grade in Wahpeton public schools for twenty-three years, retiring in 1984. She also taught adult basic and secondary education and English as a Second Language for twenty-five years until 2000 when she was 80.
She is remembered fondly by the hundreds of children and adults whose lives she touched in her career. Esther married Walter E. Gordon on November 22, 1939, and lived on a farm near Great Bend until he entered the U.S. Army and served during WWII. After the war, they built a house on North 4th Street in Wahpeton, and she lived there until 2012 when she moved to St. Francis Health Care Center in Breckenridge, MN.
As a young person, Esther was active in 4-H and homemakers clubs. She was a 4-H leader, Girl Scout leader, Sunday school teacher, and member of the Wahpeton Education Association. She also belonged to the North Dakota Retired Teachers, Delta Kappa Gamma, the Friends of the Library, AAUW, the Richland County Historical Society, and the VFW Auxiliary.
She was a member of Evergreen United Methodist Church and UMW Joy Circle. Esther enjoyed sewing, handwork, reading, gardening, and raising roses. She was an active community volunteer leading reminiscing at the Leach Home, hosting group visits at the historical society’s one-room country school, helping with library fund raisers, and doing many church related activities.
Her volunteering did not stop when she entered St. Francis. She was active on many committees. Even at 100 she befriended the other residents and delivered welcome baskets to new residents.
Preceded in death by parents Robert and Marian Eggert, husband Walter E. Gordon, sister Avis Potter, son-in-law Ronald Miska, and special friend Marvon Eklind, she is survived by two children, Linda Miska of Plano, Texas, and Walter G. (Patricia) Gordon of Fargo; grandchildren: William and Elizabeth Miska and Glenn and Amanda Gordon; four great grandchildren; and sister Alice Jordan of Fargo and brother Robert (Inez) Eggert of Valley City.
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