Charles Gordon Bishop

Gordon Bishop was a resident of Oceanside, CA. Gordon was born in Pasadena,
California on March 28,1939 and grew up in Monrovia. After two very fulfilling careers as
an educator and chaplain, Gordon retired to enjoy RVing, cruising, researching educational
opportunities and watching news! He peacefully passed away at home with family
members after many health complications on December 19, 2024.
Education Gordon was famous for wearing his USC hat. He earned his EdD from the
Univ. of Southern Cal in 1972, but was a proponent of community college. He will be the
first to tell you that he was a challenging high school student. His teachers were frustrated
that his high potential was wasted while he was busy having fun. He started his higher
education at Citrus College where he appreciated the quality, personalized instruction. He
earned his BA and MA at Cal State LA. He researched colleges, encouraged (badgered)
every child and grandchild to pursue higher education and offered financial assistance.
His last research "victim" was Jacob. G&K escorted many grandkids on college tours
throughout the country. At age 61, he earned a Master of Divinity from Holmes Institute.
Married Life Gordon loved to joke that he was married for over 60 years. He was married
to his high school sweetheart, Becki Ellefson, for over 10 years. He was married to Nina
Ortiz for 6 years. But the love of his life was Karen. Gordon called Karen his "mail order
bride." When he was superintendent in Lindsay, Gordon placed an ad in the San Diego
Union looking for a reading specialist. Before the interview, his secretary said, "You're
going to like this one." Gordon had Karen sign a contract before she returned to San
Diego. Neither of them had a date for the Lindsay High School holiday party, so they went
together. On March 18, 1978, Gordon and Karen were married in the Walt Disney suite at
Disneyland. They were married for over 46 years.
Professional Careers Gordon was a hard worker from the time of his paperboy route.
He was offered a managerial position at Alpha Beta but opted for his passion of teaching.
He taught grades three through high school and at the college level for USF and United
States Int'l University. As an administrator, he served in every position from assistant
principal to superintendent of Lindsay, Brea-Olinda and Oceanside Unified School
Districts. He opened, managed and taught at USIU's North SD campus. USIU sent him to
Samoa and Palau. He and his good friend, Bob Lindstrom, became partners in an
aspiring, for-profit college in San Diego, the Newschool of Architecture. Gordon became
President. His inability to take no for an answer resulted in getting NSA accredited and
recognized by the US Dept. of Ed. for financial aid. The school grew from 30 students in
1989 to 300+ in 2001 when Gordon left to pursue his new passion, ministerial work. He
founded a church in San Diego and performed his ministry as hospital chaplain especially
enjoying the challenge of Grossmont Hospital's emergency and trauma units. Under his
leadership as President of Holmes Institute, the seminary became accredited.
Monrovia Gordon was fortunate to grow up in Monrovia in the 1940-1950's. First born
Gordon loved to torment his younger siblings, Mick and Jeanne at their home on Lime
Street. Gordon's mom was a kindergarten teacher and welcomed every kid in the
neighborhood. Their house became a magnet when they put in a pool. Gordon loved the
neighborhood so much that he and Becki rented a small place across the street when they
got married. Gordon still had contact with his Monroe Elementary School friends.
Grandpa's Farm During his last days, Gordon was asked to visualize his favorite place.
He immediately said, "Grandpa's farm." The Bishop family arrived in Nebraska in a
covered wagon to homestead along the Platte River. At nine years old, his parents put him
on a train alone from CA. His grandpa flagged the train down in NE at the whistle stop.
Gordon was up before dawn taking care of the cows and helping his grandma with the
chickens. He loved having a BB gun with Grandma's only caveat, "Don't hurt the red
birds." By the time Gordon took Karen to see the farm, the buildings were gone but she
appreciated the appeal.
Health Gordon was always intrigued with his health. He researched constantly and
sounded like a pharmacist. This may have started with him having rheumatic heart as a
little boy. Penicillin became available in the early 1940's and saved his life. All were
convinced that Gordon would live to beat his dad's death at age 98. Gordon had survived
a-fib, cardiac amyloidosis, blood cancer, and multiple surgeries only to be taken down by
bronchitis and pneumonia.
End-of-Life Gordon's workshop with Elizabeth Kubler Ross kicked off interest in quality,
end-of-life experiences. He advocated pre-planning and organized experiences for
families to discuss their wishes so loved ones did not have the trauma of trying to guess a
loved one's wishes while grieving. His family appreciated his planning and sharing. There
was no confusion in the hospital. When the hospital suggested aggressive interventions,
Gordon said, "Take me home." Everyone was under strict orders to get hospice care
sooner rather than later, and hospice insured his final days were free of anxiety and pain.
"Old Guys Walking" Gordon and Bob Lindstrom were best friends and partners. They
were best men at each other's weddings. It was no surprise that they wanted to spend
retirement years together. They decided to walk the coast of California. In 2011, Karen
dropped them off at the Tijuana border where they commenced their six-year Odessey.
They walked a few weeks at a time, stopped and then picked up where they left off. Days
consisted of 5-10 miles of walking (while arguing), a luxury hotel room, gourmet meals and
fine wine. They ended at the Oregon border on June 13, 2017, just before Bob passed
away.
Timeshares In 1976 Gordon and Karen took their first trip to Hawaii. Bob, Phyllis, Gordon
and Karen returned every year to room 626 at the Outrigger in Waikiki. They bought time
shares with the idea they would spend a month in Hawaii when they retired. After Phyllis
passed away in 2005, they moved to quieter Kauai. Many family members and friends
joined them throughout the years. His last purchase was in Palm Springs, so he had a
place for the Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival every January.
Esalen Institute Just before G&K's first date, Gordon completed a month as an Esalen
Institute work scholar and attended life changing workshops by Fritz Perls, Elizabeth
Kubler Ross, Al Wong, etc. It was no surprise that on G&K's first road trip, Gordon shared
his love of Esalen by including a visit to Big Sur. They returned many times for couples
and Tai Chi workshops and sometimes just to unwind, enjoy the baths and excellent
massages. Gordon inquired about spending the end of his life there and wanted his ashes
in the area.
Travel Gordon and Karen valued experiences and enjoyed escorting friends and family,
especially when they had their first passport trip. They traveled to over 35 countries. Their
first extended trip was in 1981. They used the Eastern Airlines "fly where we fly for 21
days" pass. Back in the days of paper tickets, they had 22 flights in 21 days including
Guatemala. After land tours, they discovered the ease of cruising, especially Viking River
cruises that brought them to city docks in China, Russia and France. They instilled the
love of travel to Madison by taking her to NYC, Paris, London and Ireland for her high
school graduation. After her BArch graduation from NSA, they took her to China.
RV Gordon's interest in RVing started in the 1970s when his parents bought a Landau
motorhome. After Gordon received his EdD, he packed up the Landau and his family to
set out on his first, full-time RVing experience. Wife, Nina, two teenagers and a two-year-
old embarked on a journey across country for nearly a year. When Karen and Gordon
married in 1978, they traded in her VW beetle for a 28' class C motorhome named Lindy.
The second full-time RVing experience started with Gordon's retirement and lasted nearly
two years. Through the years, G&K had numerous RVs including bubble trailers, pop-up
Toyota, trailers, 35' fifth wheel, 39' diesel Bounder, and numerous Sprinter vans. G&K
traveled to 48 states. Nearly every grandchild had numerous adventures from Maine
Florida Texas Washington state. At the age of 84, Gordon declared he set up his last
camp site.
Texas Loving life on the road in the RV, they rented their San Diego condo to Steve and
Judy. But Gordon begged to stop full-time RVing when they reached Texas. They settled
in Sun City Texas in Georgetown, just north of Austin. They moved into a new
neighborhood and started lifetime friendships. They built their "forever" home with a casita
which was enjoyed by many visitors. They split their time between TX and CA for 12 years
until the pandemic when staying in CA was safer.
Community Gordon enthusiastically contributed his time and talent to community
organizations. He was in the Rotary Club of Duarte which admitted and adjudicated the
right of women to join Rotary. His involvement in Rotary continued for decades, and he
served as the president of the Oceanside Rotary in 1991. Always a proponent of women,
he was the first Oceanside Rotarian to visit the sister club in Osaka, Japan proud to
accompany Karen as first female president of the El Camino Rotary and Renee
Richardson as the first female president of the Oceanside Rotary in 1994. Gordon was
also involved in Chamber of Commerce and numerous city improvement projects. He
traveled to Los Angles to volunteer as the President of Holmes Institute.
Charity Gordon was very generous. He was a Paul Harris Fellow. He created and had
three non-profits approved by the IRS. His last one was the Oceana Good Neighbor Fund
created to assist residents with financial challenges. He endowed the Dr. Gordon Bishop
('57) Scholarship at Monrovia High School. Each year, he proudly attended the MHS
award ceremony to present a $1,500 scholarship to a student with potential but a lower
GPA due to life challenges.
Survived So many lives are forever better because Gordon had been part of them.
Gordon will be deeply missed by his family. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Karen
Glynn Bishop; his brother, Mick Bishop of Visalia; his four children – Charlie Bishop of
Oceanside, Lesli Bishop Densmore of Cottonwood, Rob Taylor of Encinitas and Catherine
Bishop Nissen of Walnut Creek. Karen joked that the kids were his, but the 10 grandkids
were hers – Christian Bishop, Madison Parsons Heise, Jonathan Riggin, Bria Nissen
Duimovich, Chase Nissen, Sydney Densmore, Skyler Taylor, Jennifer Densmore, Jacob
Kohr and Aliya Nissen.
Memorial Service Family and friends are invited to celebrate Gordon's life.
Thursday, February 13 – Service at 2 p.m., Reception at 3 p.m.
Bravo Family Mortuary
4427 Rainier Avenue, San Diego CA 92120
Officiant – Rev. Dr. Michael Kearney
In Honor In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your favorite organization or any of
organizations that Gordon contributed his time, treasure and/or talent to:
Centers for Spiritual Living
Compassion and Choices
Esalen Institute
Monrovia School Foundation (Dr. Bishop Scholarship)
Oceana Good Neighbor Fund
Rotary Foundation
Sharp HealthCare Foundation