Gordon L. Dorn

Sadly, on Friday, May 25, 2018, Gordon Dorn, our beloved father, passed away peacefully at Anne Arundel Medical Center.  It was four months and one week since the loss of his wife and our mother, Phyllis Kathryn Dorn (nee Thorne).  Phyllis passed away on January 18, 2018.  He was very heart broken by her loss as they were together for nearly 65 years.  Gordon and Phyllis will have a double burial and ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, with the date to be determined.He was an avid story teller and loved to share them with everyone he met.  Gordon Lee Dorn was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin on July 29, 1932.  His parents were Alvin R. Dorn, Sr. and Sarah Dorn (nee Jones).  Gordon is of German, Swedish and Welsh descent.  He had four brothers, Alvin Jr., Dudley, Leslie and Donald and one sister, Sally.  Gordon was a member of the graduating class of 1950 at Beaver Dam High School.  In high school, he loved shop and mechanical arts.  In 1951, he survived a serious car accident on Labor Day weekend where three of the five occupants in the vehicle died.  He was in the hospital for 99 days.  He always carried the letter from the doctor in his wallet that listed all the broken bones he received.  In 1953, Gordon was drafted into the U.S. Army.  He was eventually stationed at Fort Myers, VA and part of the Old Guard unit.  He met his future wife, Phyllis Thorne at a New Year's party in Washington, DC.  They were married in February of 1955.  After their honeymoon, they were stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas as part of the 10th Mountain Division "ground pounders" (tanks) before being deployed to Germany.Gordon and Phyllis were stationed in Frankfurt, Germany after their wedding.  They have six children that were born abroad and on Army posts in the United States.  During his Army career, he completed a tour of duty in Fort Riley, Kansas; Germany, Korea and Vietnam; Fort Benning, Georgia, and Fort Meade, Maryland.  Gordon reached the rank of Master Sergeant (E-8).  During his service, he received the Army commendation medal with three oak leaf clusters, an Army commendation medal with a fourth oak leaf cluster, a Good Conduct medal with bronze clasp - 5 loops, and a National Defense Service medal with oak leaf cluster.Gordon retired from the U.S. Army on June 20, 1973 and resided in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.  After the Army, he worked for Morris Tile in Tuxedo, Maryland. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers and sisters and most recently by his wife of 63 years, Phyllis.  Gordon is survived by his six children:  Debra, Robin (Dannie Bostic), Ronald, Dwight (Lisa), Richard, and Crystal.  He has two granddaughters:  Debra's daughter Jennifer (Daniel Heard) and Dwight's daughter Stephanie.  He also has two great-grandchildren:  Juniper and George (Jennifer Heard).  He also is survived many many wonderful nieces and nephews in Wisconsin, Florida and Maryland, and a sister-in-law Iva Dorn (Dudley) in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.He loved the Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Washington Senators, Washington Nationals, and the Washington Capitals.  He considered you a true football fan if you watched the game in the stadium during a raging snow storm.  And to the Washington Capitals, there are now two loyal fans who have been waiting a long time for you to win the Stanley Cup so in honor of Gordon and Phyllis Dorn:                         GO CAPS!