Nearly eight months after he announced his diagnosis of stage 4 stomach cancer last November, Bucoda Mayor Rob Gordon, 42, died in the afternoon on June 3, 2024.
Gordon was also the Bucoda Fire Department’s assistant chief and had been serving as a firefighter since just before his 16th birthday.
On Tuesday, June 4, emergency responders from throughout South Thurston County joined together for a procession in his honor, starting in Thurston County and traveling to Winlock.
Rob Gordon is survived by his wife, Miriam Gordon, and their two children, Jakob and Anna Gordon.
“I don't know what else to say right now other than we are completely heartbroken. I thought we would have more time. I never thought walking into the ER with Rob on Thursday that I would walk out without him,” Miriam said in a Facebook post. “The kids and I are together at home facing what is now our new reality … life without Rob.”
She thanked everyone for their thoughts and prayers and asked for privacy for herself and her family as they grieve.
A funeral service will be held for Gordon at a time and date yet to be announced.
This Saturday, June 8, a vigil for Gordon will be held at Bucoda Memorial Park — located at 107 N. Main St. in Bucoda — beginning at 8 p.m., according to Bucoda Mayor Pro Tem Kiersten Presley, who is assuming Gordon’s mayoral duties.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved Mayor and Assistant Fire Chief Rob Gordon. My heartfelt sympathies and prayers go out to his family during this incredibly difficult time,” Presley said in a statement to The Chronicle. “As mayor pro tem, I am committed to providing unwavering support to our town and ensuring we stand together as a community to support his wife and children.”
Initially a Bucoda Town Council member, Gordon stepped up to take over as mayor in 2022 following former Mayor Steven Purcell’s resignation due to his own non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma returning.
In an interview with The Chronicle last November, Gordon said he believed the cancer might have developed after exposure to smoke and chemicals during his time as a firefighter.
“You gotta be hopeful. What else do you do? You’re just kind of along for the ride,” Gordon previously told The Chronicle.
And being hopeful is what Gordon did, continuing to carry on in his mayoral and assistant fire chief duties on top of running his own haul truck company and his family’s ranch — all while undergoing intense cancer treatment.
Purcell, who was in attendance during Tuesday’s emergency responder procession, spoke to The Chronicle on Tuesday afternoon about Gordon’s death.
“He was doing well here as mayor. It’s left a big hole here in the community, a big hole,” Purcell said. “… He was on the town council for quite some time, too. But even before he took over for me as mayor, everybody knew him. You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing his handiwork somewhere out here in the community.”
Over the last few months, Gordon worked to get the baseball field at Bucoda Volunteer Park ready for this summer’s upcoming Little League baseball season, Purcell said.
“It wasn’t unusual either to see Rob’s truck cruise through town, and go, ‘Well it’s a dump truck, so he must be going for gravel.’ It’s a shock to the community,” he said.
A former firefighter, mayor of Tenino and long-time friend of Gordon, Thurston County Commissioner Wayne Fournier — who himself was also recently diagnosed with cancer and is still undergoing treatment — shared his condolences on Facebook.
“Rob, you’d been a friend for decades and I enjoyed serving with you in the myriad of ways we did over our lives. We became cancer buddies this past year and you put up a good fight! I’m thankful today that we didn’t get that email three weeks ago saying the meeting in Rainier was canceled and the two of us got to just sit there in the sun for an hour and catch up,” Fournier said. “Your family should be very proud of the legacy you’ve left in your community, and you can rest easy knowing that you have a lot of friends who will continue your work.”
Fournier asked that flags at all Thurston County facilities be lowered to half mast this week to honor Gordon and invited cities throughout Thurston County to do the same in solidarity.
George Sharp, the rural program manager for the Thurston Economic Development Council who is still battling kidney failure himself, is another long-time friend of Gordon.
“I'm saddened, sick to my stomach, don't understand why death happens to good people in the prime of their life and difference makers in the world,” Sharp said.
In lieu of flowers, Gordon’s family is asking for donations to help pay for his funeral expenses. Donations can be made online at https://gofund.me/e2f308fd or in person at any WSECU location toward the Rob Gordon Cancer Fund.
Donations can also be made in person at Joe’s Place Bar and Grill, located at 118 S. Main St. in Bucoda.
