Gordon Oehser's Obituary
Gordon, the son of Paul Henry Oehser and Grace Oehser, died right before his 91st birthday. Gordon leaves his wife Sue of 33 years of Oakland, as well as his son Tom, grandchildren Bela and Zina of Bethesda, MD, his step daughter Debbie West in Great Falls, VA, Sue’s children Lisa Spencer (Troy Spencer) and their daughter Sabrina of Concord, CA, Joel Hoffman (Cindy Riggs) of Newberg, OR. Gordon’s brother, Richard Oehser of Boone, NC and Jacksonville, FL died in 2014.
Gordon had a legendary quirky sense of humor appreciated by many. Although he loved the College of William and Mary, he frequently did not attend class but spent his time in the music department. In a small detour, Gordon spent over a year in a federal penitentiary in VA. Author/friend, Edward Zahniser, adds: “As a conscientious objector for the Korean War, he refused to invoke religious motivations for his objection to war and was thus sent to prison. There, despite his not being churched in civilian life, he volunteered to play the chapel’s organ for prison religious services”.
Eventually he completed a degree in physics at American University after discovering that making a living as a mover’s helper was too hard and being a physicist would be easier. He worked for over 35 years at an environmental analytical laboratory in Richmond, CA as a scientific computer programmer. During that time, he became a passionate hiker and trail fixer on Mt. Tamalpais and served for a year as president of the Tamalpais Conservation Club (TCC). Gordon and Sue met in “EST” seminars. Their first date was a hike on Mt. Tamalpais.
From the time he was 55, he visited his parents’ camp in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY. Both he and Sue loved hiking in the wilderness behind the cabin on 11th Mountain. He stopped traveling there when he became disabled in 2015.
Nearing retirement, Gordon turned to classical Greek study and attended weekly study groups translating Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey” with a group of friends.
The son of a scientific editor and poet father and artist mother, Gordon was also passionate about history, science, music. He built a library to house not only his own books but those of his father and mother. His wife hopes to whittle down the thousands of books in the near future.
Cremation took place October 18, at the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, CA in a small private ceremony. Memorial gatherings will be in the future. Gordon’s ashes will be interred in the family cemetery in the Adirondacks.
If you wish to make a small donation, consider environmental organizations including Californians Again Waste, Protect the Adirondacks and The Tamalpais Conservation Club. Other options might be: The North Country Community Outreach Center in North Creek, NY where Gordon used to shop for used clothes from their thrift shop, The American Bach Soloists in SF, or the Alameda County Food Bank… And/or come and take books
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