GORDON ROBERTSTAD

1923 - 2016

Gordon Wesley Robertstad, 92, went peacefully to be with his Lord and Savior on January 23, 2016, a few short months after his wife, Janice, passed away. He is survived by his four children, Arnold Robertstad (Edie) in Dallas, Jane Scott (David) in Flagstaff, Nancy Nordell (Leonard) in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Mary Venable (Jerry) in Nashville, 13 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. Gordon was born to Norwegian immigrant parents, one of six children, on September 29, 1923, in Madison, Wisconsin. He served in World War II in the United States Army Air Corps in Europe. After the war, he met his future bride, Janice Lowe, at the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship group at the University of Wisconsin, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees. He received a Ph.D. degree at Colorado State University in microbiology and taught at the University of Wyoming, South Dakota State University and the University of Texas at El Paso. His concern and care for students, especially minority and international students, arose from a deep-seated faith. This love for students led to Gordon receiving the Distinguished Award for Service to Students prior to his retirement from UTEP in 1988. Gordon's love for people extended well beyond the classroom, and above all else, it was this love that characterized his life. Throughout their 67 year marriage, Gordon and Janice financially supported numerous missionaries across the world, and their home was often a place of respite for many of these servants. In the dark early morning hours, Gordon and Janice could be seen seated at the kitchen table, surrounded by newsletters from missionaries, making intercession for each one.After his retirement from UTEP, Gordon and Janice volunteered their time in Shell, Ecuador, where he set up a tuberculosis laboratory in a jungle mission hospital and she managed the mission guest house. Gordon also enjoyed camping and fishing and was an avid bird photographer; many of his beautiful photographs are treasured possessions on display in the homes of his family. A memorial service to celebrate the lives of both Gordon and Janice Robertstad will be held on February 20th at 10:00am at Coronado Baptist Church, 501 Thunderbird Dr., El Paso, TX 79912. To honor their memories, donations may be made to Missions/Robertstad at Coronado Baptist Church, or to Reach Beyond's Global Hands Project #940120 at https://reachbeyond.org/projects/read/ robertstad-memorial-fund, which provides medical care in underserved countries. Memories and condolences can be shared with their family directly or online at www.norvelowens mortuary.com.