Stephen W. Gordon

PORTLAND – Stephen W. Gordon, 78, passed away peacefully on Dec. 22, 2019, with his sons by his side.He was born in Manhattan on April 22, 1941, to Leo and Celia Gordon. Steve earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from NYU in 1962. He put his education to good use joining a five-year research expedition around in the southern hemisphere with a focus on the Antarctic. He made several contributions to science including the mapping of several ocean currents.After returning to NYC he met the woman he would marry, Anastasia T. Gordon, at a political event supporting the labor rights of healthcare workers. He taught physics in New York for a while before Steve and Anna moved to Maine in the early ’70s to raise a family, spending a few years in Bangor before settling in Portland where they had two sons.Steve worked as a tool and die maker starting in 1973 and as a labor activist for most of his life. Among many other causes, he fought for increasing the minimum wage and guaranteed sick leave for workers. With a wide range of interests, Stephen never stopped reading and learning. Also passionate about helping others learn from his experience, Steve had a vast and lasting influence on the people around him.Anna passed away in 2015 and Steve leaves behind their sons, Daniel and Albert Gordon, his cousin, Louise Gould and her family in California. He will be missed by many friends and students.Services are being planned and will be posted on the funeral home’s website, www.athutchins.com where you can also sign Steve’s online guestbook.