Unexpectedly at home on Wednesday 25th January 2017. A second and larger expedition under Prince Hassan was sent the following year and was routed at Gura. George was a U.S. National Guard Veteran. [127], The intensely religious Gordon had been born into the Church of England, but he never quite trusted the Anglican Church, instead preferring his own personal brand of Protestantism. May God wrap His mighty arms around each of you at this time! In his biography of Gordon, Anthony Nutting wrote that Gordon was obsessed with "the ever-present, constantly repeated desire for martyrdom and for that glorious immortality in union with God and away from the wretchedness of life on this earth". Their wishes for cremation have been honored. When he woke up again that afternoon, he found Gordon's body covered with flies and the head cut off. [33] The Anglo-French force remained in northern China until April 1862, then, under General Charles William Dunbar Staveley, withdrew to Shanghai to protect the European settlement from the rebel Taiping army. George was a 1957 graduate of Findlay High School. May the words of Psalm 46 bring a sense of peace and hope to all of his family in this season of loss. Husband of Daphne, much loved father and father-in-law of Bruce and Marsha, Don and . [17], On 18 June 1855, the besieging British and French armies began what was intended to be the final assault that would take Sevastopol, which began with a huge bombardment. With Egypt under British rule, the British also inherited the problems of Egypt's colony, the Sudan, which the Egyptians were losing control of to the Mahdi. This eventually led to the Warlord Era and the Chinese Civil War which saw the communists defeat the nationalists and establish control over China. [201] About half of the population took up his offer to promptly leave the city. I got to know George thru his sons, Greg and Tom, long before I actually met him. View Tribute Book. [41], In March 1863, Gordon took command of the force at Songjiang, which had received the name of "Ever Victorious Army". [167], In 1880, the Liberals had won the general election on a platform of overseas retrenchment, and Gladstone had put his principles into practice by withdrawing from the Transvaal and Afghanistan in 1881. [152] The Spaffords had lost their home and much of their fortune in the Great Chicago Fire and then had seen one of their sons die of scarlet fever, four of their daughters drowned in a shipwreck, followed by the death of another son from scarlet fever, causing them to turn to religion as consolation for unbearable tragedy, making them very congenial company for Gordon during his stay in Jerusalem. Always joyful [102] Faught argued that since no one else who knew Gordon in Equatoria described him in these terms, and given that Gordon's accusation that Chaill-Long was a spy for Aiyub Pasha seems to be justified, that Chaill-Long was engaging in character assassination as an act of revenge. I'm thinking of the entire family as you're celebrating the life of our beloved George. Gordon accepted the offer, but shortly after arriving in India, he resigned. Messages run for up to one year and you Of Marton formerly of Auckland. In Khartoum, Gordon attended a dinner with the Governor-General, Ismail Aiyub Pasha, entertained with barely dressed belly dancers whom one of Gordon's officers drunkenly attempted to have sex with, leading to a disgusted Gordon walking out, saying he was shocked that Aiyub allowed these things to happen in his palace. [87] With over half of Egypt's income going to pay the 7% interest on the debt worth 81 million Egyptian pounds that Isma'il had run up, the khedive was supportive of Gordon's plans for reform, but unable to do very much as he lacked the money to pay his civil servants and soldiers in Egypt, much less in the Sudan. There is no photo or video of George Gordon Ross.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. The recent death of one of Mississippi's best-known names in the business world George Bryan of West . Always giving He loved family gatherings, playing games and eating home-cooked meals, and he was never too full to enjoy a bowl of ice cream, his favourite treat. As a sapper, Gordon had to map out the Russian fortifications at the city-fortress of Sevastopol, designed by the famous Russian military engineer, Eduard Totleben. He is superior in manner and bearing to any of the foreigners whom I have come into contact with, and does not show outwardly that conceit which makes most of them repugnant in my sightWhat an elixir for a heavy heart-to see this splendid Englishman fight! [178], Gordon commenced the task of sending the women, the children, the sick, and the wounded to Egypt. Gordon grew up in Climax, Sask., and worked in the Grain industry all his life, which he loved. [146] On the island of Praslin in the Valle de Mai, Gordon believed that he found the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the form of a coco de mer tree which fruit bore a close resemblance to a woman's body. [96] The other force for law and order were the much-feared bashi-bazouks, irregulars who were not paid a salary, but were expected to support themselves by looting. Gordon never married and is not known to have had a sexual or romantic relationship with anyone. The Reverend Gordon Graham has taken the biblical injunction to "consider the lilies of the field" to extremes. [51] Following a dispute with Li over the execution of rebel leaders, Gordon withdrew his force from Suzhou and remained inactive at Kunshan until February 1864. [87] After Gordon resigned, Muhammad Rauf Pasha succeeded him as governor general of Sudan. More importantly, I saw someone who cared deeply for the people he led, who never failed to make time for them, and practiced a patience and measured calm that I have spent 20 years attempting to replicate. He was warm, steadfast, and peaceable. [251] By contrast, Gordon is one of the four subjects discussed critically in Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey, one of the first texts about Gordon that portrays some of his characteristics which Strachey regards as weaknesses. [172] Baring disapproved of sending Gordon to the Sudan, writing in a report to London that: "A man who habitually consults the Prophet Isaiah when he is in a difficulty is not apt to obey the orders of anyone". My deepest condolences. He was named for a prominent lawyer and Tammany Hall leader. Gordon was quite critical of the way Chinese generals fought the war, observing that the Chinese were willing to inflict and accept gargantuan losses in battle, an approach Gordon disapproved of. George was predeceased by his father, and is survived by his mother. [199] "The reading public wanted heroes, it wanted to read about one lone Englishmen sacrificing himself for glory, honour, God, and the Empire. [63] Gordon's closest friends were a couple, Frederick and Octavia Freese, whose son Edward, became Gordon's surrogate son. Gordon wrote in his diary: "The HOUR GLASS BROKEN" and predicted that the war would soon be won. [43] Under fire from the Taiping forces, Gordon's men chopped up the wooden stakes the Taipings had placed in the canal, thereby allowing Gordon to outflank the main Taiping defence line and to enter the main canal connecting Quinsan to Suzhou. In 1904, it was moved to Khartoum, where it stood at the intersection of Gordon Avenue and Victoria Avenue, 200 metres south of the new palace that had been built in 1899. [211] The orders were not obeyed. Celebrating the life of George Melvin Gordon [96] Gordon was not impressed with the forces of the Egyptian state. Yes, these are people struggling to be free and rightly struggling to be free". Pallbearers will be some of Gordon's beloved nephews. He went up to Bogos and wrote to the king proposing terms. During his time in Sudan, Gordon was much involved in attempting to suppress the slave trade while struggling against a corrupt and inefficient Egyptian bureaucracy that had no interest in suppressing the trade. [256], Another attempt to debunk Gordon was Anthony Nutting's Gordon, Martyr & Misfit (1966). Ismai'il's Chief of General Staff was the American general Charles Pomeroy Stone, and a number of other veterans of the American Civil War were commanding Egyptian troops. The long exploitation of the Sudan by Egypt led many Sudanese to rally to the Mahdi's black banner as he promised to expel the Egyptians, whom Ahmed denounced as apostates, and he announced he would establish an Islamic fundamentalist state marking a return to the "pure Islam" said to have been practised in the days of the Prophet Mohamed in Arabia. His subordinate, Gessi Pasha, fought with great success in the Bahr-el-Ghazal district in putting an end to the revolt there. I am coming. In the months before the fall of Khartoum, Gordon and the Mahdi corresponded; Gordon offered him the Sultanate of Kordofan and the Mahdi requested Gordon to convert to his religion and join him, to which Gordon replied abruptly: "No! Tom, Greg, and Curtis, He is survived by : his wife Mary Ruff Ross; his sons, Dr. Greg Ross (Patty) of Florida and David Ross (Changsook) of South Korea; his step-children, Dr. John Beasley (Ann) of Columbia and Joye Beasley Harpe (Stan) of Columbia; and his sister-in-law Sally Wiseman (Jim) of Columbia. The Mahdi contemptuously rejected Gordon's offer and sent back a letter demanding Gordon convert to Islam. A. For these accomplishments, he was given the nickname "Chinese Gordon" and honours from both the Emperor of China and the British. Only when public pressure to act had become irresistible did the government, with reluctance, send a relief force. The Mahdi is a messianic figure in Islam which tradition holds will appear at the dawn of every new (Islamic) century to strike down the enemies of Islam. He loved Nancy, his cherished wife of 39 years, as Christ loved the church. Never expected [138], Gordon informed the Foreign Office that he was willing to renounce his British citizenship and take Chinese citizenship as he would not abandon Li and his other Chinese friends should a Sino-Russian war begin. [79] The frequent references in Gordon's letters about his need to resist "temptation" and "subdue the flesh", Faught argued, related to women rather than men who were "tempting" him. OBITUARY George M. Gordon June 19, . Mac Gordon: Governors that might have been. George was born January 27, 1994 in Fort Worth, Texas where he enjoyed going to the zoo and riding his jeep in the park and at Granny Janny's house. [201] However, Faught wrote that there was a fundamental difference between Gordon and the Mahdi in that Gordon never tried to convert the Muslims of the Sudan to Christianity whereas the Mahdi was an "Islamic extremist" who believed he would establish a worldwide caliphate, looking forward to the day when he would "see the world bow before him". Can hold out for years. Sending you my love. An expedition was sent up the White Nile, under Sir Samuel Baker, which reached Khartoum in February 1870 and Gondokoro in June 1871. He loved Nancy, his cherished wife of 39 years, as Christ loved the church. "[175] Even Wolseley had cause to regret sending Gordon, as the general revealed himself to be a loose cannon whose press statements attacking the Liberal government were "obstructing rather than furthering his plans to take over the Sudan". Eric Matthew Gairy, politician: born 18 February 1922; Member of Legislative Council, Grenada 1951-52 and 1954-55, Minister of Trade and Production 1956-57, Chief Minister and Minister of Finance . It's a great pity!" [119] Gordon was met by Suleiman Zobeir, the son of Rahama Zobeir, and demanded in the name of the Khedive of Egypt that the rebels end their rebellion and accept the authority of their lord and master, telling Zobeir that he would "disarm and break them" if the rebellion did not end at once. [227], After the Battle of Omdurman, Kitchener opened a letter from the Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, and for the first time learned the real purpose of the expedition had been to keep the French out of the Sudan and that "avenging Gordon" was merely a pretext. Following the destruction of Hicks's army, the Liberal Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone, decided that the Sudan was not worth the trouble it would take to keep, and that the region should be abandoned to the Mahdi. Laurence Olivier played Muhammad Ahmad. Besides working to end slavery, Gordon carried out a series of reforms such as abolishing torture and public floggings where those opposed to the Egyptian state were flogged with a whip known as the kourbash made of buffalo hide. [40] In a 2008 article, Stallard argued that Chinese historiography has largely neglected Gordon, which Stallard felt was undeserved. [216] The massacre was finally halted by orders of the Mahdi. In December 1883, the British government ordered Egypt to abandon the Sudan, but that was difficult to carry out, as it involved the withdrawal of thousands of Egyptian soldiers, civilian employees, and their families.[161]. Note: These are general guidelines; some florists may not be able to operate within these timelines. "[129] Gordon was an ardent Christian cosmologist, who also believed that the Garden of Eden was on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles. [47] Gordon felt very uncomfortable commanding this force and at one point had to order the summary execution of one of his officers when the latter tried to take the Ever-Victorious Army over to the Taipings, who had offered a generous bribe for switching sides. [69], King Leopold II then asked Gordon again to take charge of the Congo Free State. George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron FRS (22 January 1788 - 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. The Mahdi and his followers had been fighting a jihad since 1881 and looked forward to taking on the famous General Gordon as a chance to win glory for Allah. [12], Gordon believed in both predestinationwriting that, "I believe that not a worm is picked up by a bird without the direct intervention of God"and free will with humans choosing their own fate, writing, "I cannot and do not pretend to reconcile the two". He was 96. [204] On arriving at Khartoum on 28 January, the reconnaissance gunboats found that the city had been captured and Gordon had been killed just two days before, coincidentally, two days before his 52nd birthday. "[216] His body was desecrated and thrown down a well. Second only to his faith, was the great joy George found in his family. [12], Gordon had a strong death wish, and clearly wanted to die fighting at Khartoum, writing in a letter to his sister: "I feel so very much inclined to wish it His will might be my release. [187] Even if the relief force had reached him, it is not clear if he would have left Khartoum, as Gordon wrote in his diary: "If any emissary or letter comes up here ordering me to come down I WILL NOT OBEY IT, BUT WILL STAY HERE, AND FALL WITH THE TOWN! On 2 September 1877, Gordon clad in the full gold-braided ceremonial blue uniform of the Governor-General of the Sudan and wearing the tarboush (the type of fez reserved for a pasha), accompanied by an interpreter and a few bashi-bazouks, rode unannounced into the enemy camp to discuss the situation. [121] After several months of chasing Zobeir, Gessi and Gordon met at the village of Shaka in June 1879 when it was agreed that Gessi would continue the hunt while Gordon would return to Khartoum. When he and his wife started attending Summerside Church this year, I was blessed to meet him in person. Burial will follow in the Evergreen Lawn Cemetery at George, IA. [52] At Kitang, Gordon was wounded for the second time on 21 March 1864, when a Taiping soldier shot him in the thigh. During his "career break" in the Holy Land, the very religious Gordon sought to explore his faith and biblical sites. [237], An identical statue by Thornycroftbut with the pedestal intactis located in a small park called Gordon Reserve, near Parliament House in Melbourne, Australia. Search by name or location to find online obituaries. [165], Stead's interview caused a media sensation and led to a popular clamour for Gordon to be sent to the Sudan. It was removed in 1958, shortly after the Sudan became independent. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, March 8th 2023 at 11:00 AM at the St. Louis Church (13 E St Louis Pl, Batesville, IN 47006 . He was born January 1, 1942 in Indianapolis to the late Lester Gordon and Helen Waldron Gordon. The relief was successfully accomplished and Gordon quickly won the respect of his troops. This memorial website was created in memory of George Gordon, 31, born on December 25, 1955 and passed away on March 0, 1987. He ran Gordon's Flea Market for over 50 years and was the owner of Gordon's Construction Company. When considering a Mississippi governor's race, I often think of those people who never entered a political election, wishing they had for the state's sake. Funeral: 15 Mar 2023, Dewsbury. George Gordons School of Law Parcourez la ncrologie de Donald Don Gordon Bowen 2023 rsidant dans la province Ontario pour le dtail des funrailles . View Gordon Averyt Murrill's obituary, send flowers and find service dates or sign the guestbook. "[247], Such was the popularity of Gordon that the first critical book by a British author was not published until 1908, when Baringby this time raised to the peerage as Viscount Cromerpublished his autobiography, which was notable as the first British book to portray Gordon in an unflattering manner, though Lord Cromer also tried to be fair and emphasised what he felt were Gordon's positive, as well as his negative, traits. Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at the Jurrens Funeral Home in George, IA with Pastor Jeremy Winter, officiating. [48] After Gordon had surrounded Burgevine's force outside of Suzhou, the latter had abandoned his own men and attempted to rejoin the Imperial side, leading Gordon to arrest him and send him to the American consul in Shanghai together with a letter asking that Burgevine be expelled from China. He is a glorious fellow!With his many faults, his pride, his temper, and his never-ending demand for moneybut he is a noble man, and in spite of all I have said to him or about him, I will ever think most highly of him. Baker met with great difficulties and managed little beyond establishing a few posts along the Nile. [51] Gordon wrote a letter home that his losses were "no joke" as 48 of his 100 officers and about 1,000 of 3,500 soldiers had been killed or wounded in action. [85] In 1872, Gordon was sent to inspect the British military cemeteries in the Crimea, and when passing through Constantinople, he made the acquaintance of the Prime Minister of Egypt, Raghib Pasha. Im so grateful that my sister and nephews had such a wonderful father-in-law and grandpa. Gordon himself was honest and incorruptible, but he was almost alone in possessing these qualities, and the venal and corrupt Egyptian bureaucrats usually ignored his orders when they conflicted with the chance to make money. He was warm, steadfast, and peaceable. I had the pleasure of working with George for many years at Sterling Marking Products. C. G. Gordon", but the messenger (who knew very little English) had memorised another, darker message from Gordon, namely: "We want you to come quickly". To download this photo, the file name must have less than 255 characters. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. [56], In a leader in August 1864, The Times wrote about Gordon: "the part of the soldier of fortune is in these days very difficult to play with honourbut if ever the actions of a soldier fighting in foreign service ought to be viewed with indulgence, and even with admiration, this exceptional tribute is due to Colonel Gordon". We are very sorry to hear about George, It seems we never seem to get together until we have a reason like this. Gordon passed away peacefully Monday, October 31 at theglorious age of 91, at Good Samaritan Prairie Ridge in Raymond. [95] The younger Russell was described by his own father as an alcoholic and spendthrift who "was beyond help" as it was always the "same story-idleness, self-indulgence, gambling, and constant promises" broken time after time, leading his father to get him a job in the Sudan, where his laziness infuriated Gordon to no end. Located in the town centre of his birthplace of Woolwich is General Gordon Square, formerly known as General Gordon Place until a major urban landscaped area was developed and the road name changed.
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