Gordon Soo Kwan

Gordon Soo Kwan was born in Portland, Oregon on July 22, 1949 at Wilcox Memorial Hospital to Tei and Mar Shee Kwan. He was the second of three children who were born in the U.S.
He grew up in Ladd's Addition and attended Abernathy Grade School. In high school Gordon was on the football and wrestling teams graduating from Washington High School in 1967. He went on to continue his education at Portland State University. His college career was interrupted by a call to duty, to serve. Gordon enlisted in the U.S. Army and served from 1971 - 1974. Stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, he was a Distinguished Honor Graduate in the U.S. Army Quartermaster/Armor School and served in U.S. Army Europe, Office of Deputy Chief of Staff Operations. After an honorable discharge, Gordon returned to PSU to finish his education graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1975.
After college, Gordon worked for eleven years at Columbia Coin Co. in downtown Portland. Starting in retail, he became store manager and as a precious metals broker and coin expert, he was interviewed and quoted in the Oregonian newspaper. After working for nine years at Anthro Corporation, Gordon retired in 2006. In addition to sports Gordon enjoyed traveling in Europe, Asia, Canada, and Mexico.
But through all the years, the Chinese Baptist Church was a constant in Gordon's life and was reflected in his steadfast commitment to the church and his love for the Lord. The church became a central part of Gordon's life at a young age. While growing up, he participated in the many church outings and social events while attending church. As a teenager, he worked at the church as custodian on Saturdays. Gordon had a servant's heart, he enjoyed volunteering. In addition to Habitat for Humanity and SOLV Oregon, Gordon volunteered his time at the Chinese Baptist Church (2004 - 2009) working on projects both inside and out leading up to CBC's 60th anniversary where 250 people attended. Gordon continued to do volunteer work maintaining CBC's facilities from 2010 until health issues limited his ability to do so. He was a kind and humble man whose 6-word description of himself "Has a good heart, ready to help" reflects the kind of life he led.
To the family, he was known as Gordy. He was a devoted son to his mother and a much-loved brother to Ben (Sue) Kwan and Nancy Kwan (Stan) Jones. He was a wonderful uncle to six nieces and nephews ~ Marilyn (Gerry) Adams, Martin Kwan, Amy Kwan, Philip (Catherine) Jones, Brea Kwan, and Teiler (Lindsay) Kwan. He is preceded in death by father, Tei Kwan; mother, Mar Shee Kwan; brother, Gene Kwan; nephew, Dick Kwan; and niece, Margaret Kwan.