Gordon Harrower

Gordon Harrower, Jr., of Dunnsville, Virginia passed away on Sunday, July 14, 2019. He is survived by his cherished wife and best friend, Anita - his “Sweetest” who so lovingly cared for him during his long decline; the sons he so loved and admired, Ronald, Gordon, and David; two grandchildren; five stepchildren; seven step-grandchildren; and a sister, Struthers Harrower Gignoux.

Born in Boston, MA, he attended St. Mark’s School, Southborough MA, graduated from Harvard College in 1952, and served two years of Korean War active duty as an Artillery lieutenant, and 27 more in the Army Reserve and Virginia Defense Force. Following a decade in the corporate world, he joined the founding faculty of Middlesex County College, Edison, NJ, where he served as counselor, administrator, and teacher of U.S. military history - his most fulfilling career decision. In 1985, he moved from New Jersey to the Shenandoah Valley, and in 1997 to Dunnsville, VA where he and Anita restored and lived in “Riverview,” an 1838 foursquare. A lifelong Episcopalian, he was a devoted member of St. John’s, Tappahannock, where he served as vestryman, warden, lay reader, and especially loved singing in the choir. He was a board member and former president of the Essex County Museum and Historical Society, under whose aegis he co-authored its Historic Homes book, and “To the Color,” a compilation of local veterans’ stories. He and Anita also contributed to “Historic Sites of Virginia’s Northern Neck and Essex County.

He was a member of the Nassau Club of Princeton, NJ; the North-South Skirmish Association; the Company of Military Historians; Military Officers Association of America (Potomac Chapter) and Sons of the American Revolution (Rappahannock Chapter). He enjoyed the outdoors and loved and was grateful for the many pets who were ever his companions, most recently Snow, his guardian cat. A voracious reader, he was also addicted to NY Times crossword puzzles. He learned well the virtue of his New England heritage and lived it in patience, kindness, loyalty, concern for others, and deep love for his family. Reserved and endowed with a wry wit and a keen sense of the ridiculous, he was not swayed by pretentiousness or ostentation.

A memorial service is planned for Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 216 Duke St., Tappahannock, VA. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 336, Tappahannock, Virginia, 22560. Faulkner Funeral Homes, Marks-Bristow Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.