Gordon P. Symonds, Jr., 78, a man of ideas and not "things," died June 25 at Landis Homes Retirement Community. He is survived by his wife, Carole A. (Beck) Symonds, to whom he constantly referred as "the best thing that ever happened to me." They met on a blind date (she as a substitute), and would have been married 54 years on August 22.

He is also survived by three children, Sheryl A., of Lancaster; Gordon P., III (Ted) and his wife Kim of Salunga; and John W. and his wife Kimberly of Omaha, and three grandchildren, Kyle, Shane, and Macayla.

He was born on October 31, 1934 in Boston, the son of the late Gordon P. Symonds, Sr. and Mary E. (Mummert) Symonds. In 1939, his family moved to Millersville, where he had many fond memories of growing up on Kready Avenue.

Gordon graduated from the former Manor Millersville High School in 1952; he was recognized for his contributions to education by the Penn Manor Alumni Association in 2007. He matriculated at Franklin and Marshall College, graduating in 1956 with a B.A. degree in English. He served in the U.S. Army at Fort Knox and taught at Edward Hand Junior High School for three years. He earned an M.Ed. in English from Millersville University in 1966, and completed additional post-graduate coursework at the University of Delaware.

In 1963 he was hired as an instructor in the English Department at Millersville University, where he taught for 35 years until his retirement as an associate professor in 1998. Gordon's interest in and about "the Ville" continued as he thoroughly enjoyed his retirement activities of bagging groceries at John Herr's Market and working out at the SMAC fitness center on the MU campus. He penned a chapter entitled "Model School Memories" for inclusion in the commemorative book about the 250 ^th anniversary of Millersville Borough.

An avid Red Sox fan, he became a life-time member of the Fenway Faithful in 1946, reading his last box score over the weekend. In addition to sports, Gordon enjoyed engaging in conversation (and debate) about current events with people from all walks of life. A voracious reader and consummate storyteller, he also enjoyed listening to all types of music, particularly from the 1960s, which was his favorite decade. Most of all, Gordon was faithful to and proud of his family until the end.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, July 1 at 11 a.m. at Saint Paul Lutheran Church, 222 North George Street, in Millersville, with The Rev. Constance Mentzer, Pastor officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. In keeping with Gordon's wishes shortly after his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) in early 2010, Gordon's body was donated to the ALS Center for Hope at Drexel University. A private committal service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to benefit the Adult Day Services program at Landis Homes, 1001 East Oregon Road, Lititz, PA, 17543.