Gordon Gaines' Obituary
Gordon R. GainesPolitical activist, back packer, cyclist, father, grandfather and husband, died peacefully August 13. He was 82. Born in San Diego on June 14th, 1930, Gaines graduated from California State University, San Diego, in 1953. He received his law degree from the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley in 1958. In 1968, after working primarily as a personal injury and workers’ compensation litigation attorney for nearly a decade, he became a judge of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. He was later appointed by then California Governor Jerry Brown to the board as Commissioner, where he served from 1975 to 1986.Guided by humor, intelligence, integrity and fairness, Gaines drew as much love as respect across the political spectrum. “Throughout his life he has worked hard to promote the cause of the underdog, primarily in the form of championing workers’ rights,” according to an announcement by the California State bar, which awarded him a Lifetime Achievement award in 2007.”Even if he ruled against you, he was always fair. And nice about it,” says Ronnie Caplane, Chairwoman of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. He was courageous, speaking out against injustice of all kinds. In the 1960s he was active in assisting conscientious objectors. In the early 1970s, he served two terms as president of the San Francisco chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, during one of the organization’s most vibrant periods. He was physically strong, backpacking in the Sierras and waking early in the morning to perform calisthenics. He took his bicycle on long hilly rides with people half his age well into his 70s, when Parkinson’s began to impede his physical abilities. Neighbors remember him always lending a hand – or a sledgehammer – with gusto to help with any project that needed strong arms. From his contributions to the civil rights movement to his mashed potatoes, funny faces and ability to crush a beer cap between two fingers, Gaines will be remembered for the fullness and passion with which he lived life every day until the very end. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis, the love of his life for more than 57 years; two children, Susan (Sevilla) and David Gaines; five grandchildren, Zachary, Samuel and Dominic Gaines, and Max and Zoe Tarrel, and by his brother and sister-in-law, Martin and Barbara Goldstein, and their children, Debra, Mark and Greg. A memorial will be held Sunday, August 19, from 4-6 p.m., at Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison Street, Oakland, CA 94612In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the National Lawyers Guild, www.nlg.org
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