Gordon L. Peek

Gordon Lee Peek When Jimmy Stewart starred in the 1946 film “It’s A Wonderful Life,” there was no way he could have known that George Bailey was an actual person — a lanky, fun-loving northern Michigan kid named Gordon Peek who possessed plenty of his own star power. Just like George Bailey, that kid grew up to become “the richest man in town” — not in the financial sense but in the number of lives he touched. Gordy, as he was known to most, was born June 7, 1929, not in a hospital but at home in Cadillac, Michigan, which was appropriate since he was never fond of hospitals or doctors, especially in his later years. On Dec. 10, 2018, following an extended illness, he finally agreed to let go of his own “wonderful life” and go home to heaven, cheered on (literally) by his beloved bride, Marilyn, and his family. He died at home, of course, which was his wish. He was 89. Gordy was known for his deep faith and wisdom, and every morning he could be found at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and his Bible, where he and Marilyn (and whichever kid happened to be visiting) would faithfully read not one devotional, but two or three. Laughter was always present and encouraged, and Gordy often marveled at the quick wit of his eight children, who tried to one-up each other with tales of questionable (but hilarious) decisions and memories of going for ice cream, picnicking across northern Michigan, and camping at Hopkins Creek. No one was off limits, not even Mom, who he often called “Lightning.” Gordy’s #1 target was typically himself. He said he had plenty of material to work with. Clowning was his thing, whether it was making faces, turning the bill of his cap to one side, or wiggling his ears — an impressive talent that delighted his grandchildren and cheerfully annoyed his wife. Gordy held a multitude of jobs throughout his life, usually out of necessity, and continuously sacrificed for his family. Among his many positions (too numerous to count) were factory line worker at Kysor Industrial, refrigeration salesman for Keyes, and music salesman for Fiedler Music. He also worked at Dan Walker Music, drove a bus for Traverse City Area Public Schools, and served as custodian at Asbury (now Traverse Bay) United Methodist Church. He owned his own lamp repair business and did odd jobs throughout his life. Early in his marriage he would work an 8-hour shift at the Kysor factory, shovel coal in exchange for fuel to heat his own home, and assist a landscaper in exchange for trees and shrubs for his yard. And no matter how long of a day he had worked, he was always available to his children when he got home. Gordy passed his work ethic on to his kids, who were required to plant seedlings, pick fruit, or do odds jobs in the neighborhood to earn money for the record album or camera or bicycle or drum set they so dearly wanted. Gordy could fix anything, and his kids gave him plenty of projects to work on, usually under the guise of “Dad likes to keep busy.” He attended every possible musical and sporting event that his children and grandchildren were involved in, often traveling hundreds of miles to do so. Although he wasn’t a musician, he loved music to the very end, and was listening to his favorite guitarist, Chet Atkins, in his final moments. Gordy also loved to watch the Detroit Tigers and played slow pitch softball for many years — left field, he would tell you, “the best position on the field.” For a few years he even played on the same team as his sons, and as recently as last week he repeated — for the 1,000th time — the story about the home-run stealing, game-ending catch that he was about to make when his legs met the fence and he flipped head over heels as the ball sailed beyond his reach. “I had that thing!” he said. “I had it!” Perhaps his greatest gift was making people feel special. He “hugged from the heart,” as he liked to say, and he hugged often. When Gordy and Marilyn worked at Target in their “retirement” (yeah, right), it was more for the social aspect than the paycheck. Friends and family made it a point to stop and shop not for the latest discounted item but to visit the Peeks. No doubt Target sales fell when the couple finally decided to retire for good. Even Bruce Willis was a fan. Yes, that Bruce Willis, who was in Traverse City visiting his daughter at the Interlochen Arts Academy and found exactly the right guy to help him pick out a new jackknife (Gordy, in fact, carried one in his pocket every day). Gordy always had plenty of love to spare and lived out his belief that “there’s always room for one more.” In addition to his five biological children, he and Marilyn adopted three children from South Korea and also served as foster parents for Becky, Bridget, Eric, and Rosie. It all began in 1949, when Gordon and Marilyn met at a family gathering in Manton, Michigan. Gordy was immediately smitten, but Marilyn Kibbe wasn’t quite as enamored with the gangly kid from Cadillac (oh, how he loved to tell the story). Gordy was relentless, however. In fact, he smartly adjusted his strategy, and when Marilyn returned home from a date one evening she found Gordon sitting at the table, joking and laughing with her parents, who wholeheartedly approved of the handsome young man. Marilyn finally relented and admitted that Gordy Peek was indeed a pretty good catch, and the two soon fell in love. They were engaged in August 1950 and planned to wed the following year. But when he was called to service in the U.S. Army, the two were married on Oct. 14, 1950 in Manton, days before he reported for basic training. Gordon was preceded in death by his mother and father, Fred and Vera (Stickney) Peek; his brother, Palmer; his sister, Beverly, who he met for the first time in heaven; and his son, Matthew. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Marilyn (who he often called “my sweetheart”), sister-in-law Ruth Peek, sister-in-law Ruth Kibbe, son Larry (Carol), son Randy (Mary), daughter Cheryl (John) Lohner, son Jeff (Sheila), daughter Lori (Keith) Smith, daughter Kimberly (Lars) Peek-Jensen, daughter Nikole (Don) Jones, and daughter-in-law Nina (Kevin Haggerty) Kang; grandchildren Marnie (Jerry) Warren, Ben (Adam) Peek, Jason (Tracie Fernley) Gibson, Angelia (Mike) Geib, Johnathan Lohner, Jeffrey Lohner, Kurtis Kang, Taylor (Cody) Carew, Dawson (Bethany Pataky) Peek, Jessica Budz, Aubrey (Matt) Poremba, Allida (Jeremy Clark) Smith, India Peek-Jensen, Torden Peek-Jensen, Emma (Alec) Shunk, Hannah (Patrick) Gallagher, Holden Gilbertson, and Felix Jones; 11 great-grandchildren; and three great-great grandchildren. Visitation will be held Friday from 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, 305 6th Street, Traverse City, and Saturday from noon-1 p.m. at Traverse Bay United Methodist Church, 1200 Ramsdell Street, Traverse City. A celebration of Gordon’s “wonderful life” will follow at 1 p.m. He will be laid to rest with military honors in Oakwood Cemetery, 1400 E. 8th St., Traverse City. Memorial gifts can be directed to Munson Hospice, Traverse Bay United Methodist Church, or to Marilyn Peek to help defray Gordon’s medical costs. Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories with Gordon’s family at his tribute page at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com. The family is being cared for by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services.

Gordon L. Peek

June 7, 1929 - December 10, 2018