Gary L. Jordan

Gary Lee Jordan, age 74, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at Taylor House Hospice in Des Moines.

Gary was born November 5, 1949, Des Moines, Iowa to Charles and Darlene (Witherell) Jordan. After graduating high school, Gary went to work for Meredith Publishing. He then became a journeyman carpenter with Local 106, retiring in 2009.

Gary was an outdoorsman and loved anything that allowed him to enjoy nature. Some of his outdoor activities were fishing and hunting, and he showed his reverence for nature by believing if he was going to shoot it, he had to eat it. He loved having the grandchildren out to the 80 acres they owned in southern Iowa, teaching them how to fish, and just generally making family memories and enjoying time in nature together.

Gary truly was a jack of all trades. He was a bowyer - crafting his own bows and arrows, and a gunsmith - making the wood stocks for hunting rifles. There was nothing he could not do. Gary was a music lover and enjoyed strumming his guitar.

He is survived by his mother, Darlene Jordan; wife, Sandra Jordan; children, Matthew (Renee) Jordan, Chad (Traci) Fredregill, and Kelly Jordan (Ted Spinden); nine grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; siblings, Richard Jordan, Sharon Halling, and Charles (Kathy) Jordan, Jr.; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Gary was preceded in death by his father, Charles Jordan, and an infant son.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at Hamilton’s Funeral Home, 605 Lyon Street, Des Moines. Funeral service will begin at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, December 14, 2023, at Heritage Assembly Church, 5051 NE 5th Street, Des Moines, with burial to follow at Canfield Cemetery near Altoona. There will be a luncheon at the church after the burial.

In lieu of flowers, contributions would be appreciated to the family for the future purchase of a bench in Gary’s name.

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