Posted by Clint Dixon [74.206.62.210] on Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 18:33:42 :
Gordon's fiance, Carol Haack, asked me to post the following obituary that she wrote for her beloved Gordon. She added in an email, "There will be opportunity during the service for people to share their memories of Gordon if they are so inclined. There will also be people to read memories that others have written. After the service we’ll have coffee & cookies, then people are welcome to come back to the house."
It would be nice to gather as many Power-Wagons as possible together for the convoy from Cedar Rapids to Gordon's and Carol's home near Norway, Iowa - a distance of about 16 miles.
Junior (Clint Dixon)
Gordon Neal Maney
7/12/1950 – 6/19/2014
Gordon Maney, a resident of Lenox Township in Iowa County, IA, passed away from complications of Lyme disease on the morning of June 19, 2014. He left us as he slept peacefully at home, with his beloved fiancée Carol at his side.
Gordon was born on July 12, 1950 in Cedar Rapids, IA to Ralph Dewey and Tillie Baumgratz Meaney. As a youngster he attended College Community schools, where he met Ken Marsh, his 6th grade Science teacher. Ken became a lifelong friend and mentor, passing along to Gordon his positive attitude, integrity and the ability to relate to all kinds of people.
After graduating with the Prairie High School Class of 1968, Gordon and his best friend Larry headed off to Iowa State University. Small town boys, they encountered a new world of independence. Gordon quickly made friends, enjoyed classes, listened to rock ‘n roll, worked on cars with his buddies, and discovered girls. The first girl he ever kissed was Christine Lewis; they married in August, 1971 and later
divorced.
Gordon received his Master’s Degree in Industrial Education from Iowa State University in 1975. Soon after, he took a job at Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids as the automotive instructor, a position he held for 14 years. He later taught at Prairie High School. He remarked many times that ‘teacher’ was the best job he’d ever had. He taught the students auto mechanics, but more importantly he taught them about life. The strong bonds of friendship he formed with his students have lasted more than 25 years.
Always an advocate for young people, Gordon spoke up when officials threatened to drop vocational and technical programs from the curriculum. He was passionate and tireless in his efforts to promote elective programs, citing not only the job skills taught, but the character development, sense of responsibility and self-esteem gained by students regardless of academic ability or socio-economic class.
While still in college Gordon bought a 1948 Dodge Power Wagon truck. He fixed it up and drove it every day for many years. The old yellow truck became his trademark. His passion for these trucks led him to write a monthly magazine devoted to Dodge civilian and military trucks from the 1940s to present. He published the first issue of Power Wagon Advertiser magazine in July 1984. The 30th anniversary issue went to press a few days before he passed away. His enthusiasm for ‘Dodgers’ and their trucks extended across the country and across the world. His name and his knowledge are legendary in the Dodge community and will be greatly missed.
An avid reader since childhood, Gordon’s writing talent was a particular gift. He had a remarkable ability to evoke emotion in the reader using very few words. He wrote short stories, technical pieces for his magazine, and poetry. During the early 1990s he wrote numerous editorials for the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
After his teaching years ended, Gordon held positions at several Cedar Rapids area manufacturers as a technical writer. He retired from Rockwell Collins as an Industrial Engineer. He had a genuine respect for the skills and knowledge of his coworkers, and an earnest manner of relating to each of them in a personal way. He developed many close friendships from his years in the manufacturing realm.
Gordon spent most of his adult life establishing a reforestation project and wildlife preserve in rural Iowa County. He called it his gift to the earth; the trees were his ‘kids’. He was a member of the BMW Motorcycle Owners Assn., the NRA, and the Military Vehicle Preservation Assn. He was an enthusistic scuba diver, an avid supporter of Iowa forestry projects, and a comfortable and entertaining public speaker.
Gordon is survived by his fiancée, Carol Haack, his uncle George Meaney, childhood friend Larry Williams, and his beloved Alaskan Malamute, Kobuk. Also an aunt and cousins in Indiana, an aunt and cousins in Germany, and numerous friends and former students. He was preceded in death by his parents and Ken Marsh.
A memorial fund has been established. Or, you may wish to plant an Oak tree in Gordon’s honor.
A service to celebrate Gordon’s life will be held at 1:00 pm on July 5th at Murdoch- Linwood in Cedar Rapids. Casual attire preferred; Carhartts welcome. Burial will be at a later date. Condolences may be left at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.
Follow Ups: