Gordon W. Van Keuren

Gordon W. Van Keuren, age 77, passed away on December 9, 2008 at HospiceCare in Fitchburg.Gordon was born on April 14, 1931 in Beloit to Glenn and Olga (Jensen) Van Keuren. He was a Sergeant First Class in the 128th Infantry Regiment of the National Guard. He served for three years. In 1953 he met his wife, Carol (Gress). They married July 7, 1956 and were together for 52 years. Gordon was employed at Fairbanks Morse and Diebold Safe Company. He attended Coyne Electrical School where he graduated with honors. In 1960, Gordon joined IBM as a customer engineer where he repaired typewriters and time clocks and later installed and serviced big systems for Lands End, CUNA and the State of Wisconsin. He worked there for 25 years. Gordon loved golfing, bowling, camping, hiking, and traveling. In later years, Gordon and Carol became avid bike riders making great use of the Rails-to-Trails program. Gordon was a volunteer at the World Dairy Expo, Taste of Madison, the Golf Show, and Kites on Ice. He also worked at the polls. He was an excellent photographer and enjoyed drawing and painting. He had an engaging sense of humor and enjoyed good food with a particular fondness for desserts. Gordon's life is celebrated by his wife Carol Van Keuren of Madison; his daughter Donna (Greg) Kuelz of Evansville; his son Greg (Kris) Van Keuren of O'Fallon, MO; his four grandchildren David Kuelz, and Travis, Brendan, and Melissa Van Keuren; his brother Glenn (Helen) Van Keuren of Beloit; and their children Kym Van Keuren of Beloit, Lynn (Mark) Nelson of Minneapolis, and Jeff (Kelley) Van Keuren of Bradenton, FL. The family wishes to thank the thoughtful staff at Claire Bridge in Middleton and the wonderful practitioners at Hospice for their loving support and care. A memorial service will be held at Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ, 1501 Gilbert Road on Sunday, December 21, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to HospiceCare Inc., 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711 or Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, The Duke Ellington Building, 2121 Ward Ct., NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20037.