The Sad Story of Gordon Church by Crimeatorium
True CrimeApril 15, 2024
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00:28:5141.12 MB

The Sad Story of Gordon Church by Crimeatorium

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Twenty eight year old Gordon Church was a kind and gentle young man. He was born in the small town of Fillmore, Utah with a population of 2,592 as of the 2020 census. He was a college student at Southern Utah State College, or SUSC for short, in Cedar City, Utah, the site of The Utah Shakespeare Festival and is now Southern Utah State University. A chance meeting at a convenience store in 1988 turned into a terrifying and deadly night for Gordon and a case full of twists and turns that is ongoing to this day.

The details of this crime are graphic; discretion is advised.

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[00:00:00] Listener discretion is advised.

[00:00:30] Alright, let's get this show started.

[00:00:31] Begin.

[00:00:32] 28-year-old Gordon Church was a kind and gentle young man.

[00:00:37] He was born in the small town of Fillmore, Utah with a population of 2,592 as of the

[00:00:45] 2020 census.

[00:00:47] He was a college student at Southern Utah State College, or SUSC for short, in Cedar

[00:00:53] City, Utah, the site of the Utah Shakespeare Festival and is now Southern Utah State University.

[00:01:01] A chance meeting at a convenience store in 1988 turned into a terrifying and deadly night

[00:01:07] for Gordon and a case full of twists and turns that is ongoing to this day.

[00:01:15] The details of this crime are graphic.

[00:01:18] Discretion is advised.

[00:01:23] Thank you for listening to Crimatorium, the place where crime resides.

[00:01:38] Crimatorium can also be found on YouTube.

[00:02:09] We often hear the stories of parents warning their children about the dangers of strangers.

[00:02:16] But the reality is, children are more likely to come to harm by people they know and trust

[00:02:22] than people they don't.

[00:02:24] Here at Stolen Lives we believe cases involving crimes against children do not get the attention

[00:02:30] they deserve.

[00:02:32] Listen to Stolen Lives on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to great podcasts

[00:02:37] like the one you are listening to today.

[00:02:45] Today we will return to my home state of Utah.

[00:02:49] I remember hearing about this case years ago but I had no idea just how twisted and

[00:02:54] brutal it was until I read about it again recently.

[00:02:59] In 1988, Gordon Church was attending Southern Utah State College in Cedar City, Utah,

[00:03:06] reading theater tech.

[00:03:09] He was living with his grandma in Cedar City to save money on rent and in return he would

[00:03:15] help her around the house.

[00:03:18] He was 28 years old and had the quintessential 80's hair.

[00:03:22] He was a kind and gentle man that loved his family very much.

[00:03:27] His friends and even those who have been involved in this case in any way often get

[00:03:31] emotional just talking about him almost 35 years later.

[00:03:37] Gordon came from a family that was very active in the Mormon Church.

[00:03:43] On November 23, 1988, Gordon needed to make a stop at the 7-Eleven in Cedar City to buy

[00:03:50] cigarettes before meeting some friends for dinner.

[00:03:54] On his way into the store a conversation started between Gordon and Michael Anthony

[00:03:59] Archuleta and Lance Conway Wood who had gone to the store to buy soft drinks for their whiskey.

[00:04:08] Wood and Archuleta asked Gordon to take them cruising in his 1978 T-bird.

[00:04:14] Gordon drove them up and down Main Street and stopped at one time to speak to some

[00:04:18] women before driving to a secluded area at Cedar Canyon.

[00:04:24] What exactly happened next?

[00:04:26] Gordon and Archuleta and Wood know.

[00:04:29] They each told varying versions about the events of that night and continued to do so.

[00:04:36] The following is the version that has been pieced together for research and the evidence

[00:04:41] gathered that night.

[00:04:44] Sometime during the car ride, Gordon let it be known to the two that he was gay.

[00:04:49] It was at this time that Archuleta and Wood decided to rob him.

[00:04:54] The three men got out of the car and Archuleta leaned Gordon over the hood of his car and

[00:04:59] began to engage in sex with him but stopped.

[00:05:03] Wood would later say that Archuleta sexually assaulted Gordon by knife point.

[00:05:08] Another version is that Archuleta proceeded with the sex act with the use of a condom.

[00:05:14] When he was done, Archuleta asked Wood who was standing by the trunk of the car

[00:05:19] if he wanted any.

[00:05:21] Wood declined.

[00:05:23] Gordon was beaten and thrown to the ground and put in the trunk of the car where he was

[00:05:28] bound with tire chains and a bungee cord.

[00:05:32] The man then drove to Millard County to a place called Dog Valley, approximately 80 miles

[00:05:38] away.

[00:05:40] One of Gordon's friends told the media that he hated tight spaces and rooms with no

[00:05:44] windows so this must have been absolute torture for him.

[00:05:50] During the drive Archuleta yelled at Gordon not to mess with the lights although he would

[00:05:55] later claim that he actually hollered to him to ask if he was alright.

[00:06:01] Once they arrived Gordon was removed from the trunk.

[00:06:05] Not knowing what to do next it was decided that they would attach cables to his testicles,

[00:06:11] the other end being attached to the battery in an attempt to electrocute him.

[00:06:17] At some point Archuleta cut Gordon's throat again, the two cuts now forming an axe.

[00:06:26] He was then beaten and sexually assaulted with a tire iron and a tire jack.

[00:06:32] Archuleta and Wood then dragged his body under a tree and covered it with branches sweeping

[00:06:37] the path back to the car of any footprints.

[00:06:42] The two men fled the area in Gordon's car and drove north to Salt Lake City, about 167

[00:06:48] mile drive.

[00:06:51] The car was left abandoned in the lot of an apartment complex where Archuleta's brother

[00:06:55] lived.

[00:06:58] They went to a friend's apartment and she noticed that their clothes were caked

[00:07:01] in blood.

[00:07:03] They told her that they had just been rabbit hunting.

[00:07:07] The two headed to a thrift store, bought new clothes, dumped their bloody clothes in a drainage

[00:07:12] ditch, discarded the contents of Gordon's wallet and hitchhiked back to Cedar City,

[00:07:18] stopping along the way to eat breakfast.

[00:07:22] 26 year old Archuleta and 19 year old Wood were recent parolees who knew each other

[00:07:29] from prison.

[00:07:31] They lived together in an apartment in Cedar City along with their girlfriends which

[00:07:35] was a parole violation.

[00:07:39] Both men were adopted and each had been in trouble with the law.

[00:07:45] Archuleta was five when he was adopted.

[00:07:47] His biological mother was 16 years old when she had him.

[00:07:52] His adoptive parents and family members have described to the media the deplorable

[00:07:56] conditions he came from and the various behavioral issues he had growing up.

[00:08:03] The Archuleta family was loving and has always been supportive of Archuleta.

[00:08:09] Wood was adopted at six months, he had learning and speech difficulties growing

[00:08:14] up and has a stable loving and supportive family as well.

[00:08:21] Early the following morning after Wood had spoken to a friend about the

[00:08:24] murder he made a call to his parole officer letting him know what he had

[00:08:29] witnessed.

[00:08:31] Myron County Sheriff's officers met Wood at the station where he would proceed to

[00:08:36] tell a horrific tale.

[00:08:40] His version of the events are as follows.

[00:08:44] While Gordon was driving the car Archuleta cut his throat and all Gordon

[00:08:48] said was, ow why did you do that?

[00:08:52] He pulled over into a secluded area and only Archuleta and Gordon got out.

[00:08:57] Wood stayed in the car and witnessed Archuleta have sex with Gordon.

[00:09:03] When the officers asked why this was done to Gordon,

[00:09:06] Wood's answer was because he's a faggot.

[00:09:12] Wood spoke in a casual way throughout the interview and even laughed at times.

[00:09:17] Sometime during the meeting an officer looked down and saw a speck of blood

[00:09:22] on Wood's shoe.

[00:09:24] The officer knew that Wood's involvement in the torture and murder of Gordon

[00:09:27] Church was greater than he was telling them.

[00:09:34] Wood along with some officers drove to Cedar Canyon and before long Wood pointed

[00:09:39] to the spot and a blood trail led straight to Gordon's body.

[00:09:44] Officers began processing the area where hair, blood and skin was found.

[00:09:51] They were able to identify Gordon right away as one of the officers knew him

[00:09:56] and his driver's license was lying nearby.

[00:10:00] With video cameras running Wood agreed to do a crime scene reenactment.

[00:10:06] When the two men took Gordon out of the trunk he said,

[00:10:10] you're going to kill me aren't ya?

[00:10:12] Archuleta answered no I'm not going to kill ya.

[00:10:16] He then went on to describe how Archuleta removed the chains

[00:10:20] and attached the jumper cables to Gordon's body.

[00:10:24] Only he used a more crude term.

[00:10:27] He extricated himself from the crime as if he was just a helpless bystander

[00:10:32] blaming all of the acts on Archuleta.

[00:10:36] The officers didn't buy it.

[00:10:38] Again Wood was laughing and smiling at times

[00:10:42] and casual in his description and seemed excited about telling everybody

[00:10:46] what happened to Gordon Church that night.

[00:10:49] He was asked again why Gordon was killed.

[00:10:52] Wood's answer was because he was queer.

[00:10:57] This was a brutal murder and the officers went to Archuleta's apartment

[00:11:02] where he was sleeping with his girlfriend and arrested him.

[00:11:06] Without any prompts from anyone Archuleta immediately started blaming Lance Wood.

[00:11:16] On Thanksgiving night officers interviewed Michael Archuleta.

[00:11:21] He made Wood out to be the main perpetrator

[00:11:24] stating that Wood tried to break Gordon's neck.

[00:11:27] He blamed the killing on Wood.

[00:11:30] Just like in most cases the entire truth of who did what

[00:11:34] will never fully be known by anyone except Wood and Archuleta

[00:11:39] and they both changed their stories numerous times back then

[00:11:42] and they still do to this day.

[00:11:46] Neither of these men showed any remorse

[00:11:49] or cared about justice for Gordon or his family.

[00:11:52] They only cared about what would happen to them.

[00:11:55] The important fact that remained however was that Wood and Archuleta

[00:12:00] were both involved in this brutal torture and murder of Gordon Church.

[00:12:07] The trial for Michael Anthony Archuleta began in December of 1989.

[00:12:13] He was charged with murder in the first degree, aggravated sexual assault,

[00:12:18] object rape, forcible sexual abuse, aggravated kidnapping,

[00:12:24] aggravated assault and possession of a stolen vehicle.

[00:12:30] Opening statements described investigators finding Gordon's partially nude

[00:12:34] and mutilated body in a shallow grave covered in branches and dirt in Dog Valley.

[00:12:41] He had been gagged and the tire chains were still wrapped around his body.

[00:12:48] His blood was found splattered all over his car

[00:12:51] and his head was misshapen from his injuries.

[00:12:56] The medical examiner testified that Gordon was killed by injuries to the head

[00:13:01] and skull due to blunt force and internal injuries caused by the tire iron inserted into his rectum.

[00:13:11] The tire iron was kicked so far that it pierced his liver.

[00:13:17] After six days of testimony, Archuleta took the stand.

[00:13:22] He recounted the events of that night breaking into sobs at one point.

[00:13:27] He described how he and Wood wrapped Gordon tightly in chains and locked him in the trunk of his own car.

[00:13:36] Archuleta even admitted torturing Gordon by attaching jumper cables to him

[00:13:41] and carrying his body to an area of trees once he was deceased.

[00:13:48] He told the court that he was not responsible for hitting Gordon with a tire jack, that was Wood, he said.

[00:13:55] Archuleta said that during the torture of Gordon, he was concerned about him.

[00:14:01] He also told the court that he had no intention to hurt Gordon that night.

[00:14:05] He just got caught up in the momentum after Wood cut Gordon's throat

[00:14:09] stating that he wanted to get away from the situation, but he was up to his neck in it already.

[00:14:16] You're listening to Crimatorium on True Crime by IndieDroppin.

[00:14:20] We're going to take a quick break.

[00:14:23] And now back to this episode of Crimatorium.

[00:14:27] Archuleta said that Wood was acting radical.

[00:14:30] He was drunk and crazed, how Wood had his foot on Gordon's throat

[00:14:35] while swinging the tire jack like a golf club.

[00:14:38] He said he could feel the blood hit his face as Wood was hitting Gordon.

[00:14:45] Archuleta admitting to sodomizing Gordon in the police interrogation,

[00:14:49] but he said he only did that because he thought that's what the officers wanted to hear.

[00:14:55] He blamed anything that had to do with the actual killing of Gordon on Wood.

[00:15:01] Archuleta was found guilty on December 15, 1989

[00:15:06] and on December 20th, he was sentenced to death.

[00:15:12] Lance Wood faced the same charges and on March 10th, 1990

[00:15:17] he was found guilty of all those charges.

[00:15:22] Lance gave no reaction to the verdict.

[00:15:26] He only whispered, I love you to his fiance.

[00:15:30] Both of his parents testified in the sentencing phase of the trial.

[00:15:35] His mother cried as she held up the blue jumper Wood wore

[00:15:39] when the family went to Sacramento to adopt him.

[00:15:43] She also read from a journal that recalled the words a nurse spoke to her

[00:15:47] when she put Wood in her arms.

[00:15:50] Mrs. Wood, this is your own little boy.

[00:15:55] She continued reading,

[00:15:58] I have never known such joy and happiness.

[00:16:01] He is so precious to all of us and truly one of our family.

[00:16:07] Wood wept during the testimony as did a few of the jurors.

[00:16:14] Wood's father testified that his son could be rehabilitated,

[00:16:18] that he came very close to receiving his Eagle Scout.

[00:16:21] He described Wood making quilts for children in need

[00:16:25] for one of his merit badges.

[00:16:28] The prosecuting attorney tried to hold back his emotions

[00:16:31] when he stated that this trial was about Gordon Church, not Lance Wood.

[00:16:37] That he too came into a family that loved him.

[00:16:40] He added, we don't have the clothes that Gordon wore as an infant.

[00:16:44] We only have bloody clothes he wore when he was killed.

[00:16:48] The defendant forfeited his right to live.

[00:16:51] He abandoned the love of his mother,

[00:16:54] the love of his father and sisters,

[00:16:56] as well as his ecclesiastical leaders and friends.

[00:17:01] The jury deliberated for three hours

[00:17:04] and spared him of the death penalty and gave him life instead.

[00:17:12] Wood and his attorney hugged each other

[00:17:14] when the verdict was read.

[00:17:17] Millard County Attorney Warren Peterson said,

[00:17:20] the system protected Lance Wood's rights

[00:17:22] a lot better than he protected Gordon Church's rights.

[00:17:26] Wood's crimes deserve the death penalty.

[00:17:30] Both the defense and the prosecuting attorney agreed

[00:17:34] that the reason for the different sentences

[00:17:36] was Wood's age at the time of the crime, 19.

[00:17:41] Another reason given for the difference in the sentences

[00:17:44] was that Archuleta was seen as the dominant perpetrator.

[00:17:49] Archuleta's family however, believes it is due to his race

[00:17:53] and the fact that during trial

[00:17:55] Wood's religious upbringing and accomplishments were brought up.

[00:18:00] Many people involved in the case

[00:18:02] believed that Wood should have received the death penalty as well.

[00:18:08] Gordon's mom testified of both riles

[00:18:11] staring down both defendants as she spoke.

[00:18:15] Through tears she was asked to identify

[00:18:17] Gordon's bloody clothing to the court.

[00:18:21] Gordon's father also testified

[00:18:23] as to what a good student Gordon was

[00:18:25] and that while living with his grandmother

[00:18:27] he was also taking care of her.

[00:18:31] Archuleta showed some remorse in response.

[00:18:34] Wood however, showed none.

[00:18:37] Gordon's family attended each and every court proceeding.

[00:18:43] Both men were sent to prison in Draper, Utah.

[00:18:47] Wood became known as a snitch while there

[00:18:49] and he was transferred to the prison in Orofino, Idaho.

[00:18:54] While there he became sexually involved

[00:18:56] with several female staff at the prison.

[00:18:59] He was then transferred to Nampa, Idaho.

[00:19:03] An Idaho senator's wife named Renee McKenzie

[00:19:06] was tasked with working on prison reform

[00:19:09] and came to interview Wood on the subject.

[00:19:15] They were immediately attracted to one another

[00:19:17] and soon began a romantic relationship.

[00:19:22] This resulted in divorce for Renee and her husband

[00:19:25] Senator Kurt McKenzie whom she had been married to

[00:19:28] for 20 years.

[00:19:30] Wood and McKenzie got married in 2015.

[00:19:34] That same year the two filed a $50 million lawsuit

[00:19:38] against the Idaho Department of Corrections

[00:19:41] claiming correction staffers retaliated against them.

[00:19:48] That lawsuit is ongoing.

[00:19:52] Renee never faced any charges

[00:19:54] for an inappropriate relationship with Wood

[00:19:56] or practicing law without a license.

[00:20:00] Wood also had a romantic relationship

[00:20:02] with the female prison guard that ended

[00:20:05] when he heard rumors that she was married.

[00:20:08] Wood got angry at this claiming it was against his religion

[00:20:12] to commit adultery.

[00:20:15] This relationship caused Wood to be transferred

[00:20:17] to another prison facility.

[00:20:20] He filed a federal lawsuit against prison officials

[00:20:23] claiming that this prison guard perpetrated

[00:20:26] sexual acts on him without his consent.

[00:20:31] He's had at least two other romantic relationships

[00:20:34] with other prison guards and it has been reported

[00:20:37] that he continues to wreak havoc in prison.

[00:20:41] Archuleta has exhausted all of his state appeals

[00:20:44] and is now pursuing federal appeals.

[00:20:48] The latest is claiming intellectual disability

[00:20:51] as a reason to remove his death sentence.

[00:20:55] While in prison Archuleta lost an eye

[00:20:58] when a weight made from a water filled jug fell on his face.

[00:21:04] He told his mother that Gordon visits him in prison.

[00:21:07] He feels his presence and he can even smell him.

[00:21:14] In the 1980s the AIDS epidemic hit.

[00:21:17] Gay men and those afflicted with AIDS

[00:21:20] were being ostracized and in conservative places

[00:21:23] like Cedar City, Utah it was even worse.

[00:21:27] Nobody knew exactly how this disease was spread

[00:21:30] and the gay community was blamed for the epidemic.

[00:21:34] Thirteen year old Ryan White was a hemophiliac

[00:21:37] who was afflicted with AIDS in 1984

[00:21:40] after a blood transfusion.

[00:21:43] He faced ostracism in his community

[00:21:45] after he was diagnosed

[00:21:47] and had to fight to be able to go back to school.

[00:21:51] He became the face of public education about the disease.

[00:21:56] When he was diagnosed with AIDS

[00:21:58] he was given only six months to live.

[00:22:01] He lived five years and died in 1990.

[00:22:06] Gordon had a small tight-knit group of friends

[00:22:09] and he was even dating someone

[00:22:11] but he kept the fact that he was gay

[00:22:14] hidden from everyone outside that circle.

[00:22:20] Gordon's murder happened ten years before

[00:22:22] the brutal killing of Matthew Shepard

[00:22:24] but it received little media attention.

[00:22:28] Gordon's case happened too early to be labeled as a hate crime

[00:22:31] as Utah didn't have any hate crime legislation in 1988.

[00:22:38] As a result of Gordon's murder

[00:22:40] the changes to the hate crime laws in Utah

[00:22:42] began to change in 1992

[00:22:45] and with various revisions over the years

[00:22:48] the final one passed in 2019.

[00:22:53] Just this year Archuleta and three other

[00:22:55] death row inmates from Utah

[00:22:57] filed a lawsuit asking to strike down

[00:23:00] the death penalty in the state of Utah.

[00:23:04] The other inmates involved are Ralph Menzies

[00:23:06] who was convicted and sentenced to death

[00:23:09] in 1986 for the kidnapping and murder

[00:23:12] of 26-year-old Maureen Hunsaker.

[00:23:16] Douglas Stuart Carter was on death row

[00:23:19] for 33 years for murdering a Provo

[00:23:22] Utah police chief's aunt named Eva Olisson.

[00:23:26] His death sentence was overturned in 2019

[00:23:30] citing misconduct by witnesses and the police.

[00:23:35] Troy Cal was already serving a life sentence

[00:23:38] at Utah State Prison when in 1994

[00:23:42] he stabbed another inmate Larry Blackman

[00:23:45] 67 times while another inmate held him down.

[00:23:49] He was tried and sentenced to death for that crime.

[00:23:53] The death row inmates attorney, Cory Talbot

[00:23:56] set in a statement to Fox 13 News

[00:23:59] this lawsuit seeks to protect the rights of prisoners

[00:24:02] to be free from unnecessary pain

[00:24:05] at the hands of the government.

[00:24:08] Lethal injection is a primary method for execution in Utah

[00:24:12] however if the drugs aren't available

[00:24:14] the method then turns to the firing squad.

[00:24:18] Ronnie Lee Gardner was the last inmate

[00:24:20] to die by firing squad in Utah

[00:24:23] on June 18th 2010.

[00:24:26] Gardner spent 25 years on death row

[00:24:29] for killing 36-year-old attorney Michael Burdell

[00:24:32] during an attempted escape from a courthouse in 1985.

[00:24:37] The lawsuit cited his case saying that Gardner

[00:24:40] didn't die immediately stating

[00:24:43] Utah's execution protocol creates substantial risk

[00:24:47] of a botched firing squad execution

[00:24:49] because among other reasons

[00:24:51] it creates a realistic possibility

[00:24:54] that one or more projectiles will miss the heart.

[00:24:58] In 2020 a documentary called

[00:25:01] Dog Valley was released about Gordon Church's case

[00:25:04] and can be rented or purchased on Amazon.

[00:25:08] In June of 1989,

[00:25:10] SUSC posthumously awarded Gordon

[00:25:13] a bachelor's degree in theater arts

[00:25:16] which was accepted by his father David Church.

[00:25:20] Gordon was also awarded

[00:25:22] with the outstanding Mass Club member

[00:25:24] in 1989.

[00:25:27] The Mass Club is the club connected

[00:25:29] with the theater department.

[00:25:31] The award is given to students that show kindness

[00:25:34] and caring to others,

[00:25:36] cooperation and willingness to work

[00:25:38] and give of themselves.

[00:25:41] Gordon's parents were in attendance

[00:25:43] at the banquet

[00:25:44] and they were given a plaque that said

[00:25:46] the Gordon R. Church Memorial Award

[00:25:49] Outstanding Mass Club Member of the Year.

[00:25:53] Archuletta and Wood are leeches on society.

[00:25:56] They have done nothing to contribute

[00:25:58] to the good of others.

[00:26:00] Their lives have been filled with taking

[00:26:02] whatever they feel like,

[00:26:04] including an innocent life

[00:26:06] and they both continue with his self-centered

[00:26:08] leaching behavior behind bars.

[00:26:11] Gordon Church surely begged for his life

[00:26:13] but he didn't have anybody there

[00:26:15] advocating on his behalf.

[00:26:18] Gordon did nothing wrong.

[00:26:20] He was well on his way to a happy

[00:26:22] and productive life.

[00:26:25] Wood and Archuletta played judge and jury

[00:26:27] and Gordon's death sentence was swift.

[00:26:31] I am aware that we as civilized people

[00:26:33] cannot act in the same depraved way

[00:26:35] as these criminals,

[00:26:37] therefore we need to make death for them

[00:26:39] as civil as possible.

[00:26:42] Bottom line,

[00:26:43] I wish Archuletta would take the punishment

[00:26:45] that was lawfully handed to him

[00:26:47] and pay the price he should pay

[00:26:49] in the end,

[00:26:51] neither Wood or Archuletta will taste

[00:26:53] freedom again and for that I am grateful.

[00:26:58] I would have loved to have shared more

[00:27:00] about Gordon's life.

[00:27:02] Sadly there is more information out there

[00:27:04] about the perpetrator's lives

[00:27:06] than there is about Gordon's.

[00:27:08] In the documentary Dog Valley,

[00:27:10] several of Gordon's friends

[00:27:12] on those involved with the case

[00:27:14] talk about what Gordon was like

[00:27:16] and it is well worth watching.

[00:27:20] Gordon's parents died without truly getting closure

[00:27:23] due to the long string of appeals

[00:27:25] on Archuletta's behalf.

[00:27:28] Gordon's death destroyed his close-knit family

[00:27:30] for a while and certainly

[00:27:32] changed them forever.

[00:27:35] His family, friends and the world

[00:27:37] lost a kind and gentle soul

[00:27:39] that surely would have made

[00:27:41] a positive impact on society

[00:27:43] all for the fact of who

[00:27:45] and what he was.

[00:27:48] Gay.

[00:27:51] Gordon's headstone reads

[00:27:53] when someone you love becomes a memory,

[00:27:56] the memory becomes a treasure.

[00:28:04] Thank you for watching and listening

[00:28:06] and until next time, take care.

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