Mary Gordon Obituary

Mary Elizabeth Vosburgh Gordon

September 16, 1929 - May 9, 2025

Mary Elizabeth Vosburgh Gordon, 95, of Downingtown, PA, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 9, 2025, at Chester County Hospital in West Chester, PA.

Elizabeth, often called "Lib," was the beloved wife of the late Wallace Braxton Gordon, with whom she shared over 53 years of loving marriage until his passing in 2007.

Born in Durham, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Warren C. Vosburgh, Ph.D. and Marguerite Jones Vosburgh. She attended Duke University, where her father was on the faculty, graduating with a degree in economics in 1949.

Elizabeth is survived by her devoted daughter, Susan Parno (Jeff), and two loving sons, Stuart Gordon (Jen) and Douglas Gordon (Kathryn). She is also survived by seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, who brought great joy to her life.

Lib and Wally were married in 1953 in Duke University Chapel on the campus of the university. Lib was a loving stay-at-home mom and homemaker for many years, primarily in Florence, SC. She was a key leader of Girl Scout Troop 98, which was very active during the years of her involvement. She ran twice (unsuccessfully) for the local school board and was a champion of school integration. In 1973 she was employed by the Florence County Council on Aging, overseeing multiple sites serving lunch to seniors around the county. In 1979, at the age of 50, she learned computer programming and went to work managing a mainframe computer for a manufacturing plant in Florence.

In the mid-1990s Lib and Wally retired to Richmond, VA, where they had met so many years earlier, and she remained there living independently until moving to Downingtown in 2022. During her later years Lib became deeply involved in tracing the genealogy of her and Wally's families, traveling to Washington, DC, Appomattox, VA and as far away as Michigan to track down bits of research.

Throughout her long and meaningful life, Lib was passionate about ballet, Scotland, and the mountains of North Carolina. She was known for her warmth, her fierce intelligence, and an unwavering dedication to her family. Lib will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

A private family memorial service will be held at a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to The Shepherd's Center of Richmond or the Richmond Public Library.