LANCASTER, Pa. — Gordon T. Sperry, 90, of Lancaster, Pa., and formerly of Toledo, Ohio, died on April 26, 2009. He was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, on Jan. 31, 1919, and completed his elementary and high school education there. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University just after World War II.
One of the first men to be drafted, Gordon served as a cryptographer in World War II, routinely handling messages between FDR and Churchill. While stationed in London, he also served as the Army’s tenor soloist in the Westminster Abbey choir.
He married Helen Lewis, a fellow student at Ohio Wesleyan, in 1944. They had four children and, while growing up, the family lived in Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Ohio. Helen and Gordon and the kids spent as much of every summer as possible at their cottage in the Straits of Mackinac on Bois Blanc Island. Gordon and Helen were married for over 50 years. Helen is already buried in the Island Cemetery; Gordon will soon be joining her.
After Helen’s death, Gordon moved to Lancaster to be closer to family. He lived in Homestead Village and was active in their choir, bridge games and college football on TV. He was known for his companionship, his fine sense of humor, and his tenor voice, and he will be missed by all.
A Marriage, An Elegy
They lived long, and were faithful
to the good in each other.
They suffered as their faith required.
Now their union is consummate
in earth, and the earth
is their communion. They enter
the serene gravity of the rain,
the hill’s passage to the sea.
After long striving, perfect ease. — Wendell Berry
He is survived by his children Joe, Jane, Ann and Susan; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Anyone wishing to make contributions should send them to Bois Blanc Island Community Foundation, P.O. Box 907, Pointe aux Pins, MI 49775. The foundation’s goal is to support the charitable, educational, cultural, recreational, environmental and social welfare needs of the people of Bois Blanc Island, to the end of making the island a safer and more enjoyable community for all.