Diane Lee (Carsh) Gordon

After a life well lived, Diane Gordon, of Bonanza, Oregon, passed away on October 29, 2023.

Diane was born on January 9, 1943 to Ethel and Harry R. Carsh joining older sisters, Shirley and Carol, as well as brother, Harry C. Carsh. 

She was an easy-going, happy-go-lucky kid who had a lot of friends; two or three of whom always seemed to be at her house.  She was very close to her two sisters throughout her life.  If you called one, you were sure to find out how the other two were doing. 

In 1961 Diane married the love of her life, John B. Gordon, and they settled in Portland where they lived for several years and raised their three children, Elizabeth Gordon (VanWart), Bart Gordon, and Troy Gordon.  For many years, Diane and John hosted big family Christmas gatherings at their house which always provided many laughs and great memories.

One of Diane’s fondest memories was meeting Senator John F. Kennedy during a campaign stop in Portland prior to the 1960 Presidential Election.  She was a huge Elvis and Beatles fan, and enjoyed watching reruns of Columbo and NCIS on her big-screen TV.  She also loved to watch football, NASCAR, and occasionally baseball.  She was a Green Bay Packers fan when Bret Favre played for them - but didn't like Aaron Rodgers - so she switched to the Pittsburgh Steelers because she liked Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin.

Although her main focus in life was raising her children and managing the household, Diane also worked for Kaiser Permanente - twice - interrupted by a brief stint at Nike in the early 1990’s when she worked in the Retail Poster Department.  She was well-liked by her fellow Nike employees who nicknamed her “Lady Di”. 

Upon retiring in 1999, Diane and John moved to Bonanza where they immensely enjoyed their new life in the high desert.  They also loved to go to Reno, the Oregon coast, or anywhere there were slot machines to play.  Her favorite place was probably the Kla-Mo-Ya casino in Chiloquin, Oregon. 

Diane was preceded in death by her husband, John; daughter, Liz; her two sons, Bart and Troy; and her sister, Carol Dixon.  She is survived and very much loved by her sister, Shirley Veach; brother Harry (Gwen) Carsh; Sister-in-law, Kathy (Mike) Raymond; and many nieces and nephews.

We would like to thank Diane’s caretakers, Amber and Theo, for taking such good care of her these past few years.

At Diane’s request, there will be no Memorial Service.