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Sarah R “Sally” <I>Reingold</I> Gordon

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Sarah R “Sally” Reingold Gordon

Birth
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA
Death
14 Feb 2012 (aged 102)
Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, USA
Burial
Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
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Sarah R. "Sally" Gordon, 102, Lincoln, passed away early on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2012. She was born March 26, 1909, in Chicago to Russian immigrants, Charles and Minnie Reingold. Sally was united in marriage to Robert Merle Gordon on June 20, 1931, in Lincoln. He passed away in May 1969. A Chicago native, Gordon grew up in Fort Collins, Colo. She came to Lincoln as a teenager in 1927 and watched Italian craftsmen lay floor mosaics in the State Capitol. The landmark structure is 23 years younger than Gordon. Sally worked as administrative secretary for three Nebraska governors, Ralph Brooks, Frank Morrison and Norbert Tiemann. She also worked as the administrative assistant for the University of Nebraska's Centennial Education Program; gave tours of the Nebraska governor's mansion; served as a court reporter; and worked in real estate and law offices before rejecting retirement at age 75 and starting a new career as a sergeant-at-arms for the Nebraska Legislature. After 27 years in that role, at age 102, Sally retired in April 2011. Sally always said she preferred working to retirement because "I'm a desperate housewife and I'm allergic to housework."

In 2011, Gordon was named America's "Outstanding Oldest Worker" by Experience Works, a nonprofit organization which helps mature workers find jobs and new careers. In 2006, she was named Outstanding Older Worker for Nebraska. Elegant in both dress and manner, with a signature hat or scarf always adorning her silver hair, Gordon was a former model known for her flair and her active lifestyle. When she was 92, Sally toured Europe, alone, because it was something she had always wanted to do. Some of Sally's favorite sayings included these: "Life goes by at such an amazing pace, perhaps that's why they call it the human race" and "I try to live every moment." She also favored "God didn't give us a rewind button." Sally is dear to many because of her friendly smile, kindness, interest in people, her wonderful sense of humor, and her vigorous approach to life. She lived in her home until last month. Sally was a good friend, a role model and an inspiration to many.

Sally is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, James E. "Jim" Gordon and Karen Kilgarin, Lincoln; her daughter, Janet Rudolph of Tacoma, Wash.; her daughter and son-in-law, Sandra and Dalton Shapo, Turnersville, N.J.; granddaughters and spouses: Micala R. Gordon, Minneapolis; Shannon L. Gordon, Florence, Italy; Celeste M. Torrence, Lincoln; Jacquie and Brett Rauenzahn, Lovettsville, Va.; Danielle and Mark Jannusch, Marion, Iowa; Alexey and Doug Root, Denton, Texas; Sarah and Douglas Cole, Upper Arlington, Ohio; Rebecca Rudolph, Seattle; great grandchildren: Clarissa, William, Samuel, Joshua, Hannah, Alexander; niece, Sandy Goralnik, Denver. Special friends: Connie Miller, Cindy Swinney, Laurie Smith Camp, Jim Joyce, and many other relatives and friends. Preceded in death by her oldest daughter, Constance Ellen "Connie" Gordon, who passed away in November 2005.

Services will be held at Congregation Tifereth Israel, 3219 Sheridan Boulevard, Lincoln on Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at 12:15 p.m. Interment will be at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, located near North 14th and Elba Streets. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Sally requested that memorials be directed to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Nebraska or the Lincoln Community Foundation's Sally Gordon Endowed Scholarship Fund for Outstanding Legislative Pages.

Wyuka Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman once honored for being one of the nation's oldest working Americans died Tuesday, less than a year after she left her job in the Legislature and a career that included politicians, movie stars and profound moments in state history.

Family members said Sally Gordon died shortly after midnight at a Lincoln hospital, where she was staying after she fell in her home a few weeks ago. She was 102.

Gordon left her job last year as assistant sergeant-at-arms at the Nebraska Legislature, where she had worked since 1984, starting at age 75.

Every day that weather allowed, she walked seven blocks to the Capitol from her Lincoln home. She was honored as America's Outstanding Oldest Worker for 2010, given by Experience Works, the nation's largest nonprofit training center for older workers.

"Sally was a great Nebraskan, and we will miss her," said Gov. Dave Heineman.

Her resume included stints as a court reporter, a model, an employee at an engraving company and a secretary to three Nebraska governors. She hobnobbed with Shirley MacLaine and Gene Kelly, and once chatted with Lyndon B. Johnson on the steps of Air Force One. To regulars at the Nebraska State Capitol, she was the warm and welcoming presence who shuttled notes to lawmakers and helped prepare for legislative floor debate each morning.

"She never really stopped, never really slowed down," her son, Jim Gordon, said. "To us kids, she was a mom first and a working woman second. She was a role model without intending to be a role model. She did the things she wanted to do, and she did them well."

Sally Gordon was behind her desk one day 50 years ago, when a young man with a Boston accent walked into then-Gov. Ralph Brooks' office. Robert F. Kennedy asked Gordon why she was working on a Saturday.

Her response?

"I need to get the job done."

Gordon was born on March 26, 1909, in Chicago. She grew up in Fort Collins, Colo., and learned the value of hard work from her parents. Her father held a variety of jobs to keep the family afloat and when Gordon got married, she and her husband did the same while raising four children.

When she was young and pregnant with her first child, she worked full time for Colorado State University until the day she gave birth. But, Gordon once said, her bosses thought it was inappropriate for a pregnant woman to be seen in the workplace. So she worked at a desk and typewriter they brought to her house.

Gordon liked to knit and garden, and she watched almost no TV. One of her favorite, self-coined phrases: "Life goes by at an amazing pace. Perhaps that's why it's called the human race."

Gordon's husband died in 1969. She had four children, including a daughter who died in 2006; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

On her 100th birthday, Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler gave her a medallion and named the day in her honor. She received a letter from President Barack Obama. A group of lobbyists recorded a CD with songs such as "Red Coat Sally," a reference to the red coats worn by sergeants-at-arms at the Capitol.

Gordon was honored as America's Outstanding Oldest Worker for 2010. She beat women from across the country for the award given by Experience Works, the nation's largest nonprofit training center for older workers. A 104-year-old man who runs a game-machine business in Puerto Rico won the equivalent award for male workers earlier this month.

Gordon accepted her award at the Nebraska Capitol, which hadn't been built when she was born in 1909.

"I used to be a model," Gordon told a crowd at the time. "Now I feel like a model T."

Routinely one of the best-dressed people in the Capitol, her personality matched the flowing scarves and dresses she favors.

With a light touch on the shoulder, she stopped high-powered politicians, lobbyists and staffers in the Capitol hallways to dispense compliments and ask about their families and other personal matters. Hugs and smiles often followed.

© 2012 The Associated Press
Sarah R. "Sally" Gordon, 102, Lincoln, passed away early on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2012. She was born March 26, 1909, in Chicago to Russian immigrants, Charles and Minnie Reingold. Sally was united in marriage to Robert Merle Gordon on June 20, 1931, in Lincoln. He passed away in May 1969. A Chicago native, Gordon grew up in Fort Collins, Colo. She came to Lincoln as a teenager in 1927 and watched Italian craftsmen lay floor mosaics in the State Capitol. The landmark structure is 23 years younger than Gordon. Sally worked as administrative secretary for three Nebraska governors, Ralph Brooks, Frank Morrison and Norbert Tiemann. She also worked as the administrative assistant for the University of Nebraska's Centennial Education Program; gave tours of the Nebraska governor's mansion; served as a court reporter; and worked in real estate and law offices before rejecting retirement at age 75 and starting a new career as a sergeant-at-arms for the Nebraska Legislature. After 27 years in that role, at age 102, Sally retired in April 2011. Sally always said she preferred working to retirement because "I'm a desperate housewife and I'm allergic to housework."

In 2011, Gordon was named America's "Outstanding Oldest Worker" by Experience Works, a nonprofit organization which helps mature workers find jobs and new careers. In 2006, she was named Outstanding Older Worker for Nebraska. Elegant in both dress and manner, with a signature hat or scarf always adorning her silver hair, Gordon was a former model known for her flair and her active lifestyle. When she was 92, Sally toured Europe, alone, because it was something she had always wanted to do. Some of Sally's favorite sayings included these: "Life goes by at such an amazing pace, perhaps that's why they call it the human race" and "I try to live every moment." She also favored "God didn't give us a rewind button." Sally is dear to many because of her friendly smile, kindness, interest in people, her wonderful sense of humor, and her vigorous approach to life. She lived in her home until last month. Sally was a good friend, a role model and an inspiration to many.

Sally is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, James E. "Jim" Gordon and Karen Kilgarin, Lincoln; her daughter, Janet Rudolph of Tacoma, Wash.; her daughter and son-in-law, Sandra and Dalton Shapo, Turnersville, N.J.; granddaughters and spouses: Micala R. Gordon, Minneapolis; Shannon L. Gordon, Florence, Italy; Celeste M. Torrence, Lincoln; Jacquie and Brett Rauenzahn, Lovettsville, Va.; Danielle and Mark Jannusch, Marion, Iowa; Alexey and Doug Root, Denton, Texas; Sarah and Douglas Cole, Upper Arlington, Ohio; Rebecca Rudolph, Seattle; great grandchildren: Clarissa, William, Samuel, Joshua, Hannah, Alexander; niece, Sandy Goralnik, Denver. Special friends: Connie Miller, Cindy Swinney, Laurie Smith Camp, Jim Joyce, and many other relatives and friends. Preceded in death by her oldest daughter, Constance Ellen "Connie" Gordon, who passed away in November 2005.

Services will be held at Congregation Tifereth Israel, 3219 Sheridan Boulevard, Lincoln on Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at 12:15 p.m. Interment will be at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, located near North 14th and Elba Streets. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Sally requested that memorials be directed to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Nebraska or the Lincoln Community Foundation's Sally Gordon Endowed Scholarship Fund for Outstanding Legislative Pages.

Wyuka Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman once honored for being one of the nation's oldest working Americans died Tuesday, less than a year after she left her job in the Legislature and a career that included politicians, movie stars and profound moments in state history.

Family members said Sally Gordon died shortly after midnight at a Lincoln hospital, where she was staying after she fell in her home a few weeks ago. She was 102.

Gordon left her job last year as assistant sergeant-at-arms at the Nebraska Legislature, where she had worked since 1984, starting at age 75.

Every day that weather allowed, she walked seven blocks to the Capitol from her Lincoln home. She was honored as America's Outstanding Oldest Worker for 2010, given by Experience Works, the nation's largest nonprofit training center for older workers.

"Sally was a great Nebraskan, and we will miss her," said Gov. Dave Heineman.

Her resume included stints as a court reporter, a model, an employee at an engraving company and a secretary to three Nebraska governors. She hobnobbed with Shirley MacLaine and Gene Kelly, and once chatted with Lyndon B. Johnson on the steps of Air Force One. To regulars at the Nebraska State Capitol, she was the warm and welcoming presence who shuttled notes to lawmakers and helped prepare for legislative floor debate each morning.

"She never really stopped, never really slowed down," her son, Jim Gordon, said. "To us kids, she was a mom first and a working woman second. She was a role model without intending to be a role model. She did the things she wanted to do, and she did them well."

Sally Gordon was behind her desk one day 50 years ago, when a young man with a Boston accent walked into then-Gov. Ralph Brooks' office. Robert F. Kennedy asked Gordon why she was working on a Saturday.

Her response?

"I need to get the job done."

Gordon was born on March 26, 1909, in Chicago. She grew up in Fort Collins, Colo., and learned the value of hard work from her parents. Her father held a variety of jobs to keep the family afloat and when Gordon got married, she and her husband did the same while raising four children.

When she was young and pregnant with her first child, she worked full time for Colorado State University until the day she gave birth. But, Gordon once said, her bosses thought it was inappropriate for a pregnant woman to be seen in the workplace. So she worked at a desk and typewriter they brought to her house.

Gordon liked to knit and garden, and she watched almost no TV. One of her favorite, self-coined phrases: "Life goes by at an amazing pace. Perhaps that's why it's called the human race."

Gordon's husband died in 1969. She had four children, including a daughter who died in 2006; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

On her 100th birthday, Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler gave her a medallion and named the day in her honor. She received a letter from President Barack Obama. A group of lobbyists recorded a CD with songs such as "Red Coat Sally," a reference to the red coats worn by sergeants-at-arms at the Capitol.

Gordon was honored as America's Outstanding Oldest Worker for 2010. She beat women from across the country for the award given by Experience Works, the nation's largest nonprofit training center for older workers. A 104-year-old man who runs a game-machine business in Puerto Rico won the equivalent award for male workers earlier this month.

Gordon accepted her award at the Nebraska Capitol, which hadn't been built when she was born in 1909.

"I used to be a model," Gordon told a crowd at the time. "Now I feel like a model T."

Routinely one of the best-dressed people in the Capitol, her personality matched the flowing scarves and dresses she favors.

With a light touch on the shoulder, she stopped high-powered politicians, lobbyists and staffers in the Capitol hallways to dispense compliments and ask about their families and other personal matters. Hugs and smiles often followed.

© 2012 The Associated Press


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  • Created by: Be❤Polite
  • Added: Feb 14, 2012
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85004284/sarah_r-gordon: accessed ), memorial page for Sarah R “Sally” Reingold Gordon (26 Mar 1909–14 Feb 2012), Find a Grave Memorial ID 85004284, citing Mount Carmel Cemetery, Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, USA; Maintained by Be❤Polite (contributor 46938330).