Obituary of Gordon Neal Saunders

Saunders, Gordon Neal Gordon died at the Lanark Heights Nursing Home in Kitchener in the afternoon of Wednesday, November 23, 2016 at the age of 93. He was born in Baden, Ontario on July 28, 1923. After graduating from K.C.I. in 1941 he joined the chartered accounting firm of Thorne, Mulholland, Howson & McPherson in Kitchener. In 1942, answering the call of the Services, he enlisted in the R.C.A.F., trained in Quebec as a navigator, and served with RAF Ferry Command delivering aircraft to Britain, North Africa, and India. On honourable release from the Air Force he rejoined Thorne, Mulholland, Howson & McPherson. He graduated with his Chartered Accountancy degree in 1948, having passed the final exam and received the prize for the highest marks in accountancy for that year. He remained with the firm through its various mergers (now KPMG) until his retirement to Niagara-On-The-Lake in 1984. He had served clients from the Kitchener office, opened the Winnipeg office, and in the later years was the National Director of Finance and Administration for the firm at its head office in Toronto. Gordon was the devoted husband of the late June Wood (1925-1998) for 53 years and loving father of Kate, David, Elizabeth (Huw Marsden) and Robert (Jennifer); grandfather of Megan, Ian (Arlyn), Amy (Phil Dyson) Costelec; Sarah (Blake Skelton) and Michael Marsden; Alexander, Benjamin and Emily Saunders; and great-grandfather of Jacob, Daniel, and Gregory Dyson and Alessandra Costelec. Survived by brother Harold (Joyce) and Stuart (Evelyn). In 2002 he again married, this time to Anni Bergen (nee Thiessen), a sweetheart from high school days, thus becoming a second father to David (Deborah), Karl (Ilene) and John (Sharon); second grandfather to Anne (Jeremy Arsenault), Maria (Savo Lasic), Michael Serafino (Quinn), Heather, Steffen (Mardi), Alexander, and Gregory; and second great-grandfather to Sebastian and Desmond Serafino and Louisa and Hugo Lasic. He and Anni shared loving years with much travelling including cruises covering a lot of the world: North to the Arctic and Iceland, South to Antarctica, West to Hawaii, and East to Morocco and Norway. Friends are invited to share their memories of Gordon with his family during visitation at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo on Sunday, November 27, 2016 from 2 p.m.– 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. The funeral service will be held on Monday, November 28, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Ben Cassels officiating. Reception to follow. Condolences for the family and donations to the Mennonite Central Committee or Habitat for Humanity may be arranged through the funeral home at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.