>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

HONORING ARLIE: Arlie Gordon teaches fourth-grader Wyatt Duncan how to “witch” graves in the fall of 2004, during the first outreach program at the Union Victorian Cemetery. Gordon, who died in March, worked as a caretaker at the cemetery for 11 1/2 years. - Photo/DONNA PATTERSON

His devoted service will soon be memorialized on the very grounds he maintained, thanks to a decision by the Union Cemetery Maintenance District Board.

At a special meeting March 21, the board moved to open a fund to install a water fountain in the cemetery in Gordon’s honor.

“Arlie was a unique character who had become synonymous with the Union Victorian Cemetery,” said Board Chairman Donna Patterson.

The idea for the memorial had its seed with Gordon himself. Every autumn for the past several years, the board has invited local fourth-graders to visit the cemetery, hoping to familiarize them with a place some children might be fearful of.

Gordon had been an integral part of that outreach, wowing the kids with his demonstrations of “grave-witching,” an ancient method for locating unmarked burials.

According to Patterson, Gordon had long suggested putting in a water fountain on the grounds, so that thirsty students didn’t have to drink out of the hose.

Now, with the creation of the memorial fund, Gordon’s dream is becoming reality. Patterson said the board hoped to install the fountain by Memorial Day.

The dedication he demonstrated with the students, Patterson noted, extended to the larger community. In addition to his varied groundskeeping jobs, Gordon was quick to direct visitors seeking a tombstone.

“He would willingly take a break from any task to not only locate the grave, but would lead the visitors there, always with a cheery smile and good attitude,” Patterson said in a statement. “He learned a lot about the history of our residents and enjoyed telling their stories.”

She added, “And he was the best storyteller. One day he caught me listening to him telling a story to a visitor, realized I had heard the story before and had to have known he wasn’t telling it the same way.

“He stopped, looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and said, ‘Well, I never tell a story the same way twice,’ and then continued on.”

Gordon, who was 76, died March 17 in Boise. In addition to working at the cemetery, he had years of combined service on the planning commission and the Union City Council.

Contributions to the water fountain memorial fund may be addressed to: Union Cemetery District, P.O. Box 707, Union 97883.

A separate fund to help with the expenses of his family — including his widow, Karen — is still active at Union’s branch of Community Bank.

Meanwhile, the board has hired Bob Houck as temporary caretaker for April and May, while it searches for a replacement for Gordon.

“Of course things will go on at the cemetery and the rest of the town,” Patterson noted. “But there will never be another Arlie!”