Gordon Jay Harrison

Gordon Jay Harrison 1965 ~ 2006 BOUNTIFUL-Gordon Jay Harrison, 41, passed away peacefully Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at his home in Bountiful following a seven-year battle with cancer; he was surrounded by loving family and friends at the time of his death. Gordon was born March 12, 1965 in Las Vegas, Nevada to J William and Elaine Edwards Harrison, the youngest of four children and the only boy. He grew up in Spring Creek, Nevada, graduating from Elko High School in 1983 where he excelled in athletics, particularly track and field. Gordon won various athletic awards throughout his high school career, becoming Nevada state champion in the intermediate hurdles in 1983. His record-setting achievements taught him the lifelong value of setting and accomplishing goals. This desire for constant improvement and to inspire others towards greatness was the hallmark of his personality. Gordon was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as a full-time missionary in the Virginia-Roanoke Mission. He later attended the University of Utah, where he began training for the Olympic Decathlon. His intense desire to begin a family and to pursue a college degree diverted his attention away from competing in the Olympic Games. He then married Lisa Kimball on September 3, 1987 in the Salt Lake Temple; they are the parents of three children. Gordon was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed backpacking with his sons, brothers-in-law and close friends. He also loved to hike, cross-country ski, and fish, and was a skilled vegetable gardener, constantly experimenting with new gardening techniques. He lived by the motto: "Work hard, play hard." Like his Mentor of long ago, Gordon was a carpenter by trade and a teacher by nature. His skill and dedication are visible in the craftsmanship found in many homes and businesses along the Wasatch Front, and in the character of all those who knew and loved him. Nowhere is the imprint of his example seen more clearly than in the lives of his children and the generation of young men he mentored as a Scout Master and priesthood leader. Gordon's love for fun, adventure, competition, and mischief will be deeply missed by family, friends, and neighbors of all ages. His sense of perspective about the importance of family over the acquisition of things, and his perpetual optimism, faith, and exuberance affected deeply those who had the privilege of associating with him. Gordon was preceded in death by four grandparents, and mother-in-law, Myrlene M. McPherson. He is survived by his wife, Lisa; sons, Chase and Ben; daughter, Claire; parents, J and Elaine Harrison; three sisters, Kara Lister (Terence), Doris Hunt (Wade), Brenda Johnson (Kevin); 16 nieces and nephews; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. Surviving loved ones also include grandparents, Dean and Verda Macfarlane; father- and mother-in-law, Newel and Gloria Kimball; and brothers- and sisters-in law, Suzanne Kimball Rekow (Dan), Matthew Kimball (Melissa), John Kimball (Jody), and Amy Kimball. Funeral services will be held at 12:00 noon on Monday, November 20, 2006 at the Bountiful Central Stake Center, 640 S. 750 E., Bountiful. Friends may call Sunday, November 19, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Russon Brothers Bountiful Mortuary, 295 N. Main and Monday, prior to services, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Bountiful Central Stake Center. Interment: Bountiful City Cemetery. Online guest book at www.russonmortuary.com.