It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of longtime Idyllwild resident Gordon William Brown Sr. at the age of 86 on July 12 at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, CA. Joyce, his wife of 67 years, was by his side with many other family members nearby.
Gordon was born on January 2, 1933 in Pasadena, CA, to parents Tom and Lottie Brown. He spent his entire life living in Southern California. He met Joyce in high school and they were married on December 29, 1951.
After working several different jobs including the phone company, a paper route and mining in the desert, Gordon was hired by a wire and cable distributor, who also happened to be his next door neighbor. Starting in the warehouse, he was quickly promoted to the order desk where he found that there was a niche market for specialty cables that wasn’t being filled. Working out a deal with the distributor in 1957, he and Joyce began building custom cables at home. Through a lot of hard work the business took off and 62 years later South Bay Cable is still going strong.
In 1965, Gordon and Joyce purchased a weekend home in Idyllwild and fell in love with the town. It was only a matter of time before they decided to make Idyllwild their permanent home, and in 1967, the family became full-time residents.
When Gordon got away from work, he enjoyed the outdoors, building projects at home, and especially sailing and sailboat racing. He won numerous Southern California sailing events, and in the late 1960s, was the Southern California Series Champion. He loved all animals, especially dogs and was known to spoil his dogs, as well as others with treats.
Gordon leaves behind his wife Joyce, children Gordon Jr. (Becky), Lori (David), Gary (Karen) and Lynn (Doug), grandchildren David, Brian, Melissa, Kristin, Ryan, Jeff, Scott, Brittany, and twelve great-grandchildren.