LAST month scores of mourners turned out at the Bethel New Testament church of God in Kingston to give thanks for the life of David Gordon.

Gordon died suddenly.

He was 88-years-old.

Gordon was remembered as a devoted father who fiercely protected and cared for his family.

According to his Granddaughter Sharifa Chambers, who delivered the eulogy, Gordon, placed great importance on family values.

“Daddy was a devoted father, a strong disciplinarian who needed no whip. A protector and a provider above all else. He was also a man of humble beginnings and he valued the importance of taking care of his family. Growing up he seemed very tall in my eyes and so too was the amount of guidance he gave. Even though he lost his sight in the last few years of his life, he still spared every chance he got to hold my little cousins in his arms and to feel my sides when Mummy told him that I was getting fat,” Chambers said.

“Grandpa was loving and will always be remembered by those who knew him and loved him. We will miss him; his smile, his rebukes, his love, and the conversations we would have with him, but we will learn to take consolation in the good feelings of our lasting memories,” she added.

Gordon was born in Goshen, St Ann. He was the last of three sons born of Una-May Parson and Leopold James Gordon.

At the age of 16 he left the garden parish and relocated to Kingston. There he met and fell in love with Eulalyn Millin at Thirteenth Street in Trench Town where they both lived.

“Mama told me that grandpa was a handsome young man; always well groomed and well put together and that was what she loved about her David,” Chambers said.

The union produced six children: Juliet, Joy, Andrea, Rosemarie, Dave and Lorraine.

“Daddy spent almost 53 years with my grandmother Eulalyn and their family evolved. They didn’t have much money but together they managed to raise a family full of love,” Chambers said.

Gordon was a painter by profession and was an avid cricket fan. He was also remembered as a historian who also kept abreast of current affairs.

Apart from his six children, Gordon is survived by 14 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren and other relatives.

His remains were interred in the Meadowrest Memorial Gardens in St Catherine.