Gordon Edgar Wilson was born on the family farm in Greenock Township on September 2, 1921 to Edgar and Jessie (Ross) Wilson. He was the second oldest of four children: Scott, Gordon, Rose, and Merle.
Gordon loved tracing his family roots. In fact, his parents Edgar, 24, a farmer (son of James Wilson and Barbara Hutton) and Jessie Ross, 19 (daughter of William J. Ross and Louisa Mawhinney) were married the 14th of June 1916 in Paisley. Their witnesses were Mary Wilson and Annie Ross, both of Paisley. It is said that his ancestors came by ox cart from West Gwillimbury, to settle in Greenock Township.
The Wilson family farmed their homestead on the 14th that had been in the family since 1866. Gordon attended S.S. #8 (Bradley School) and managed to get in one year of high school. Then, regrettably, Gordon’s mother died when his sisters were young, eight and twelve. Subsequently Gordon’s duties within the family changed and he spent much more time in the house helping with his sisters. As a result, it has been said Gordon made the best biscuits ever!
Gordon went on to help his father on the farm and his brother Scott’s farm on the 16th. They milked, had Shorthorn cattle, and all labour was done by horse. It was then that Gordon was conscripted into the army as part of the WW II efforts. He was a member of the 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards or the “Plugs” where he served for four years’ mostly as a corporal in Italy and spent some time towards the end of the war in Holland. It was here that he served with many other locals, making many life-long friends from across the province. Gordon did not speak much of the war, if at all. “Those who served are reluctant to acknowledge the part they played, as is a soldier’s way.” (S. Ruttan)
This remained true until Gordon travelled to Apeldoorn, in central Netherlands, later in life and experienced the healing of the land and the people. It was then that Gordon was able to talk about his experiences. Every five years, since the 40th anniversary of VE-Day in 1985, there is a parade in Apeldoorn to pay tribute to the Canadian soldiers who had no swagger back in 1945, just humility and duty. More than 7,600 Canadians died in the nine dreadful months it took to liberate the Netherlands. They are buried in cemeteries from Adegem in Belgium, to Rheinberg in Germany. Gordon appreciated being able to visit some, if not all, of the numerous war memorials there.
Ten years following the end of WW II, a cousin of Gordon’s was in the same Sunday School as a Charlotte Ewen Reid and as it happened they attended the same picnic and the rest was history. Charlotte and Gordon were married April 7, 1955 at Shiloh United Brethren Church on the 4th of Bruce. He was just that much older (17 days to be exact) than his new bride Charlotte and he often joked that he was “the boss” due to this fact! Four children followed, John in 1956, June in 1957, Marilyn in 1958, and Lloyd in 1962.
If asked about pets, Gordon would respond – “Yeah we had 30 cows, pigs and hens, and farmed 200 acres (of which 40 acres was bush).” However, he could still name off some of his beloved Black Clydesdales, from year’s past like Queenie and Duke. Gordon was all about farming, he lived and breathed it. He loved all the rhythms of the farm year, seeding to harvest, plowing through to hibernation and then back to seeding.
He loved spending extra time with his horses and raising the colts – which he usually took to the bush to work. He enjoyed reading Reader’s Digest, or any book, magazine or newspaper he could get his hands on. His favourite books though were those by the author James Herriot, a British veterinary surgeon who used his many years of experience to write stories about animals and their owners.
In later years, he travelled with Charlotte to regions that honoured both fallen and fighting soldiers. He visited Italy, England and Holland. Gordon and Charlotte also covered most of Canada, travelling as far north as James Bay, as far west as Vancouver and Edmonton, and as far east as Newfoundland and the Maritimes.
At the age of eighty-five Gordon finally decided to retire and the couple moved into an apartment in Walkerton. This move was not easy for Gordon, as he would often go out to the farm for a visit 2 – 3 times a week in the good weather.
Gordon was best described as being an honest, steady man with a good sense of humour and a quick wit. As an example, when asked about replacing his aging rocking chair with a Lazy Boy, Gordon quickly responded, “Why? I already have one!” He had a great memory and always desired to be out of the limelight. If one could use only one word to describe Gordon, however, it would have to be hard working. And he learned this well, as both his father and brother Scott were also. Having lived through the Great Depression and the war, Gordon never wasted anything and would eat anything … “Waste not, want not!” His children often remember their dad using the common phrase, “If you are looking for something to do. . . .”, a look they tried to avoid.
Sadly, Gordon passed away with his wife by his side on Thursday, July 7, 2016 in his 95th year.
He will be sadly missed by his companion of 61 years, Charlotte. Loving father of John (Leah) of Edmonton, June Wilson (Tony Hart) of Ottawa, Marilyn Wilson (Jim Thompson) of Guelph and Lloyd (Linda Challis) of Woodbridge. He will live on in the hearts and minds of his grandchildren, Stephanie, Scott, Amy and Russell. Gordon will be sadly missed by his sister Merle Wrightson of Guelph and sister-in-law Evelyn Wilson of Walkerton. He was predeceased by his brother Scott, sister Rose Remington and his parents, Edgar and Jessie (Ross) Wilson.
Visitation will be held at Immanuel Evangelical Missionary Church, Paisley (307 Balaklava St.) on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 from 11 a.m. until the time of the funeral service at 1 p.m. Interment in Purdy Cemetery, Greenock Township.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Salvation Army or Immanuel Evangelical Missionary Church would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
