Gordon Weldon

Obituary Gordon Ray Weldon, known as Ray to most, passed away Tuesday, August 8, 2017, at the age of 78. He was born May 27, 1939, in Billings, MT. Contrary to popular belief amongst his family, his birth certificate was, in fact, paper and not carved in stone. His love for the outdoors and fishing was formed early while growing up in Montana and California. In high school, he was an avid swimmer and played water polo. Ray retired from the United States Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician. He was proud of his service to his country including during the Vietnam War in the Tonkin Gulf. During his time in the Navy, Ray served aboard the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14), the USS Lexington (CV-16), the USS Constellation (CV-64), and the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). He also served tours of duty at Midway Island and Atsugi, Japan. Ray was given the chance to train at the Grumman factory to be one of the earliest technicians when the F-14 Tomcats were introduced to the Navy. After retiring from the service, Ray worked in customer service to support his fishing, bowling, golfing, and genealogy habits. He took an active part in his childrens lives by coaching and refereeing soccer where he earned the name Piglet. Did you ever see the man run? Its self-explanatory. He also coached baseball and bowling and volunteered time to Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and his childrens other activities. He was unsuccessful at making any of them share his love for genealogy, but all of his sons picked up his fishing, bowling, and golfing habits. Ray passed his love of sports spectatorship to his children by taking them to watch football, hockey, and baseball games. He was undecided whether he would continue his loyalty to the San Diego Chargers now that theyve moved to Los Angeles but his love for the Boise State Broncos, the Navy Midshipmen, and the University of Wyoming Cowboys was unwavering. He would occasionally cheer for the Air Force Falcons, unless they were playing Navy or Wyoming, of course. He was most vocal about his favorite football teams and NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, he also enjoyed following the San Diego Padres and the Colorado Rockies and attending the games of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the Colorado College Tigers, and the Colorado Gold Kings. One of the things that will be missed most about Ray will be his sense of humor. He was good-natured about being teased about his stone birth certificate and his insistence that he walked to school uphill both ways several miles. He allowed his family to give him the nicknames of Piglet, Mr. Smee, and even Sparky after he had received a pacemaker. He even enjoyed the teasing because of his bald head. He let family rub his head while calling him Crystal Bald and even enhance the smiley face scar on the back of his head with a marker on occasion. Ray is survived by his wife of 47 years, Janie (nee Mary Jane Ware), his sons Ron and his wife Sally and Gordon Jr and his wife Ramona, and his daughter KC. He will also be missed by his grandchildren Ryan, Vince, Maggie, Gabriel, Stephanie, and Raymond, his great-granddaughter Angel, his sisters Betty Lackman and Sandy McKnight, his granddogs Delia and Nico, and several nieces, nephews, and brothers- and sisters-in-law. He is preceded in death by his eldest son Mark, his father Clint, his mother Dorothy Hockenhull, his stepmother Marge, and his brothers Ronnie, Mike, and Corky Weldon, and Gary Leonard. The family has chosen not to have any services at this time, and interment will be at the Pikes Peak National Cemetery upon its completion. In lieu of flowers, Rays family ask that donations in his memory be made to a veterans or youth sports charity of your choice. Services Funeral Service