Stephen Gordon

Stephen Lee Gordon, 73, Two Harbors, died Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at Waterview Shores.

Steve was born to Bernard "Bing" and Marjorie (Hessen) Gordon on August 18, 1947 and was a life-long resident of Two Harbors. Steve was an enrolled member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

Steve sailed the great lakes as a wheeler man for US Steel during the mid-seventies.  On one trip in November, he was aboard the Arthur M. Anderson which was directly behind the Edmund Fitzgerald when she went down.  Hearing his account of that night was incredible every time he recounted the events of that trip.  Steve had the best humor.  It was dry, so you needed to pay attention.  One summer when they were going through canal park the tourists wanted to know what they were carrying.  He shouted down to them, “Marshmallows!”

He then took a job on land to be closer to his wife where he was employed by the county until his retirement. During his retirement he came back to the boats where he drove the Cason J. Calloway for a few more trips up and down the lakes.  He said navigating a thousand-footer was second nature.  He had a brilliant mind that could calculate spherical trigonometry to determine the exact position of the ship.  The boats were his first love.

Steve had a second passion involving his love of reading about history.  A few months ago, he finished Battle of the Atlantic and was talking about German U-boats.  He would read for hours and said if a book was good, he would always read it twice.  He then read “Washington” for the second time.  Upon asking him what he had learned, he replied, “Everyone thinks he’s this marble statue riding a horse.  He was a real man.  He lived.”

Steve was preceded in death by his brother Brian Gordon.

Steve is survived by his daughter, Steph Gordon (Chad Pinske) and son Peter (Nikki) Gordon along with his sister-in-law Karen Gordon and niece Jennie (Ted) Gordon Doran and grandkids Emily Gordon, Elena Gordon, Elise Gordon, Logan Gordon and Ashton Pinske.