Gordon A. Stewart

1944 – 2024: Adventurer, inventor, philanthropist

Gordon Stewart was an adventurer, inventor, cyclist, philanthropist, and generous helper to a multitude of friends.

He was a newborn in his parent’s camper trailer that was their home on farms neighboring RAF bases in WWII, where his father maintained Lancaster bombers. He then grew up attending Irish boarding schools while his parents lived overseas as his father worked for British Vickers and later for Boeing, just as the jet age began.

In school he was known as a non-traditional intellect and athlete on the rugby pitch and track. Gordon came to join his father in Seattle and attended Pacific Lutheran University, where his active mind suffered through classes, his legs set campus track records, and he bought his first 10-speed as his main mode of transport. He graduated at the peak of the Vietnam conflict, when he drove cross country with his English cousin Michael, and then enlisted in the Navy where he served on the USS Tulare, the only sailor on board with a bike for exploration when on shore leave around the Pacific.

The Navy brought Gordon under the Golden Gate to San Francisco—a place with the climate, beauty and cultural energy where he could thrive. He found a job with a small consulting company in the infancy of the 1970s computer business, and joined the Marin County runners who would challenge his legs and mind. He helped runners publish the Bay Area Schedule and created the first computerized race registration system,

He worked at the leading edge of computerized communications, pioneering the 900-number business (you may remember the Jean Dixon Horoscope and call-in sports scores and stock quotes, they were his), and a variety of first-time uses for IBM Series 1 computers. At that firm, he met his future wife, Cora. Their casually dressed team worked out of a basement office near Chinatown; the company was eventually bought by MCI, which used their processing system for several years.

After living in the City and Berkeley, Gordon and Cora retired to Sebastopol in 1997 where Gordon joined the Santa Rosa Cycling club, and became, as club members recall, “a legend.” Gordon made it his goal to ride every paved road in the county, lead club rides and loved to introduce people to “the world’s best place to bicycle.” He was the registrar for the SRCC Wine County Century bike ride for many years.

He rode cross country, qualified for the 1,200 kilometer Paris-Brest-Paris (which he unfortunately could not ride due to an accident shortly before), and made long distance rides in the US and Europe. Recently Santa Rosa Community Bikes was thrilled to receive his donation of seven of his bikes he could no longer ride.

He was a valued board member for Sonoma County charities including KRCB Radio, LandPaths, and the Cycling Club.  His friends benefited from his energetic assistance; he loved cooking and became a master bread baker who brought warm loaves to his weekly social gatherings.

In 2022 Gordon finally sought assistance for a nagging cough that was diagnosed as Interstitial Lung Disease, a debilitating ailment with no obvious cause and no cure. He of course soon became an expert in oxygen assistance technology and assisted members of the Bay Area lung disease group with whom he shared a weekly Zoom call.  

During his last months, groups of friends came to his Sebastopol home for weekly potlucks and the opportunity to share years of memories. With his remaining energy, he helped find a new home for Cora in central Sebastopol and managed the work to make it ready for her. With his work done, he passed away peacefully at home with Cora at his side on September 16.

Gordon is survived by his wife Cora, his brother Jim and nephews and nieces in California and Washington State.