The City of Bartlesville joins the community this week in saying goodbye to one of its most beloved citizens. Janie Gordon passed away Saturday following a brief illness.
Gordon, wife of retired city manager Ed Gordon, retired from the City last summer after serving as senior administrative assistant for the Community Development Department for 16 years.
Janie Sue Lawrence was born and raised in Bartlesville, graduating from College High School in 1969. She married Edgar E. Gordon in 1970. The couple lived in Tennessee and Wyoming before returning to Bartlesville in 1984. She was employed as an administrative assistant at Wesleyan Christian School before signing up with the City of Bartlesville in 2002. She was a member of the Trinity Baptist Church, where her husband was pastor and she taught Sunday School from 1993 until her death.
Gordon is survived by her husband Ed, sons Caleb and his wife Jamie, and David and his wife Katie, all of Bartlesville, brother Jim Lawrence and his wife Linda, of Copan, several in-laws and six grandchildren: Hannah, Gabe, Austin, Noah, Carter and Tucker. She was preceded in death by her parents Jim and Jean (Searle) Lawrence, and a granddaughter, Grace Hope.
During her tenure at the City, Gordon was considered a loyal friend by her co-workers and a steadfast public servant — always quick with a smile and a welcoming heart. City Manager Mike Bailey says he, like many City of Bartlesville employees, considered her a trusted friend and confidante.
“Janie Gordon was much more to me than a co-worker,” Bailey said. “We may have met as coworkers, but over time, I was welcomed by Janie as part of her extended family. Janie and Ed Gordon are two of the most compassionate and caring people I’ve ever met, and I am fortunate to have been able to spend so much time with both of them.
“It is said that the mark of a life well lived is the impact that you have on other people. By this measure, Janie lived an amazing life, and I am forever in her debt for the time she shared with me. I will miss Janie’s smile and laughter. I will miss the way she could brighten my day with a hello. But mostly, I’ll miss my friend.”
“I worked with Janie five days a week for over 16 years. Over that time, she became so much more than a co-worker. She became my friend,” said Community Development Director Lisa Beeman. “She and I shared stories and concerns of our lives, our joys, our heartaches, and our hopes for the future. Having two sons of her own, I often relied on her counsel and common sense on raising a son to be a good man. I first met Janie in 1994, when she called me from Wesleyan Christian School to tell me that my 5-year-old son had fallen from the monkey bars and might need to be checked out at the emergency room. When I arrived to pick him up, she had a comforting arm around him and a cold cloth on his head to stop the bleeding. Years later, when she applied to work at the City, I knew she was the right person for the job.
“When I think of Janie, the words of one of my favorite songs rings true: ‘I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn, and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them.’ I learned so much from Janie. Her kind, compassionate and self-less nature made my life better and I will dearly miss her.”
Services for Gordon will be held 2 p.m. Friday, May 3, at First Baptist Church in Bartlesville. For more information and full obituary, see Stumpff Funeral Home.