GORDON, Douglas Murray
(DJ Doug)
September 30, 1958 - March 2, 2019
With profound sadness I announce the sudden passing of my husband, Douglas Murray Gordon, age 60.
Doug was born in Hamilton on September 30, 1958 and spent his formative years in the rural Flatt Road area of Burlington. He attended Woodview and Maplehurst Elementary Schools & Aldershot High School in Burlington, and McMaster University in Hamilton.
Doug was the darling much-loved son of cherished mother Jean Alvina (nee Taylor) and his role-model father, the late Hugh Moore Gordon. He leaves behind his dear friend and beloved son Andrew and daughter-in-law Jenn (Dunphy) Gordon; and, his beloved first-born child, daughter Laura Gordon; loved and respected older brother David and sister-in-law Peggy (Yates) Gordon.
He is also mourned by mother-in-law Olive (Macdonald) Hunt; sister-in-law Jennifer Hunt; brother-in-law Joseph Fazakas; step-daughters Melody and Laurel Haigh, and Chelsea and son-in-law Bryan Salisbury. Doug was Papa to Noah and Ethan, and Grandad to Rachel, Aiden & Mattie-Belle.
Highly skilled, Doug was an enthusiastic and integral part of many business endeavours, including successful partnerships with friends Greg Wright (MC Tech), Jan Foss Pedersen (Fun Photos), and Joe Monahan (Pharmacy Joe Deliveries). His work passions also included his long career as DJ Doug (Royal DJ) and mentoring mature students in construction skills (The Centre).
Kind and gentle, Doug was a true romantic and my dearest gift. Doug & I met in the fall of 2009. He had been divorced for 15 years and I'd been a widow for 19. We met when I attended a family wedding for which he was engaged as DJ. Eight whirlwind months later Doug planned a romantic proposal, complete with a lovely ring, and the engagement promised a wonderful new beginning.
Doug worried when he was seriously injured two weeks later that the relationship wouldn’t last; but, love endured and grew while we continued making plans for our wedding. Doug and I were married October 17th, 2010 amid falling autumn leaves and surrounded by family and friends. It was a mutual love that would last.
He was very proud of his family connection to Canadian hockey greats, including Syl and Gillian Apps and Dave and Ken Dryden; and, honoured to lay claim to a kinship with Canadian NASA astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield. He took time to stay connected and spend time with extended family, and played an integral part in the planning and implementation of Dryden family reunions and other Taylor and Gordon family events. He was well-known for his delicious deviled eggs.
Calm and considerate under pressure, Doug smiled through incredible physical pain, cooked like a master chef, generously offered his time and considerable talents to anyone in need, delighted in nature and wildlife, took wonderful photographs, and generally lived life with gusto.
Doug was inspired by the quotation with which he ended every email: "I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy. You can’t build on it: It’s only good for wallowing in” – Katherine Mansfield
It was the foundation on which he built every day of his life.
