Douglas Gordon Corder, longtime resident of Abilene, passed on to be with His Lord Jesus Christ on August 9, 2008.

Known as Gordon or "Gid," he was born in May, Texas on January 8, 1920 as the youngest of ten children, seven of whom lived to adulthood. He grew up in the country near Abilene, and married Peggy Little when he was 22 and she was 16. Devoted members of the Church of Christ, Gordon and Peggy were happily married for 48 years. They spent most of their married life in Denver City, Texas, where Gordon worked as a maintenance foreman for a Shell Oil refinery. He was a very strong man who prided himself on his undefeated record in company chin-up contests - it took six employees to replace him when he retired and moved to Lubbock.

He had one daughter, Geralyn Craver of Austin, who survives him, and two granddaughters, Amy Cogdell of Austin and Krista Steinhauer of Marfa.

After Peggy's death in 1991, he married Peggy's sister Mickey Sanders, and they lived in Abilene together until 2007, when he moved to Austin. Mickey preceded him in death by only a few months.

Gordon was respected and beloved by all who knew him as shy but devoted, strong but caring, a good mechanic and a great husband, father, grandfather, and friend. "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on ? they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." (Revelation 14:13).

A graveside service will be held in Abilene on Monday, August 25 at 11:30 am, at the Elmwood Cemetery (5750 Highway 277 South).

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to Austin House of Prayer, a non-profit in Austin started by Amy Cogdell and her husband Thomas (mail contribution to AHOP, 2830 Real Street, Austin TX 78722, or donate online at http://www.austinhouseofprayer.com).