Gordon Thiessen

6/10/1925 — 11/26/2014

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Gordon Albert Thiessen was born June 10, 1925, in Tillamook, Ore., the third son of Raymond Lee and Evelyn Beryl (Potter) Thiessen. He passed away Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014.

Gordon went to school in Mount Vernon, Ore., from second through the eighth grades, with two people in his class. The statement, "I walked five miles each way to school and home," was true for Gordon and his brothers.

Gordon joined the Merchant Marines at the age of 16 by lying about his age. He traveled around the world while with the Merchant Marines during World War II. He later served in the U.S. Army toward the end of the war.

Gordon married Lillie M. Snyder on April 8, 1945. They had three children, Sylvia Ostroot, Susan Goetz and Capt. Tony Thiessen.

Gordon was an avid outdoorsman. He provided lots of meat for the dinner table with his hunting and fishing. Gordon worked for the Idaho State Highway Department, plowing many miles between Greer and Headquarters. He also worked for the Standard Oil distributor and was a foreman of the roads for the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association. He was a fire warden for the state of Idaho, owned a longhaul truck and owned a motel.

Gordon was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Lee Ellis Thiessen; son Tony; daughter Susan; daughter-in-law Cindy Bird; and son-in-law Mark Ostroot.

He is survived by his wife of more than 69 years, Lillie; his daughter, Sylvia (David Peters) Ostroot; son-in-law David Goetz; grandchildren Cmdr. Edwin (Tricia) Ostroot II, Jason (Molly) Thiessen, Mark Christopher (Michelle) Ostroot, Amber (Matt) Steigleman, Traci Thiessen, Toni (Dan) Broyles, Tami (Jen) Goetz and Courtney (Geoff) Soderquist. He is also survived by 13 great-grandchildren.

A summer celebration of his life is being planned.

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