Malla Gordon

[JBA:]

Obituary from: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=gordon&GSfn=m...

Malla Gordon, formerly from the San Gabriel Valley, passed away on October 12, 2011 following a forty-five-year battle with multiple sclerosis. For the last ten years, she had made her home at the Terraces in Los Altos, California.

The daughter of eastern European Jewish immigrants Benzion Wishman and Ida Motzkin Wishman, Mrs. Gordon was born in New York City on November 25, 1918. Taken to art museums and galleries as a child, she dreamed of an art career, however the need to make a living intervened, and business school followed high school, leading to secretarial work, bookkeeping, and a stint operating a switchboard.

In 1941, she married Robert Gordon and they settled briefly in Dayton, Ohio, until World War II intervened. Bob enlisted in the Army Air Corps, and Malla spent the next few years following him around the US, towing a small house-trailer, until he was deployed overseas.

Following the war, they settled in California, living first in San Gabriel where their children were born, later in Berkeley, and eventually in Sierra Madre and Arcadia.

The arrival of grandchildren in the 70's and 80's brought about a renewed focus on family, with frequent gatherings both in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.

During the early 1960's, while living in Berkeley, Malla at last had the opportunity to pursue her artistic interests. Enrolling in the California Academy of Arts and Crafts, she explored painting, design and sculpture.

Her rapidly growing body of paintings, sketches, and was exhibited in art shows and galleries, and today hangs in the homes of family, friends, and admirers. The multiple sclerosis was diagnosed in 1965.

Although she continued to paint for some time, fatigue made the work increasingly difficult, and eventually her artistic endeavors faded away, although her interest persisted. Malla met this setback, as she met numerous others, with determination and the will to persevere. She pushed herself hard, traveling, attending theater and museums, and participating in family gatherings.

She reached out to help others with MS, teaching arts and crafts through Volunteers in MS (VIMS), and eventually serving as president of the Southern California Chapter. As her illness progressed, she and Bob moved to Los Altos, to be nearer their daughter.

Malla is survived by her children, Stuart Gordon of Long Beach and Arrita Peri Frantz of Los Gatos, four grandchildren, and a great-grandson.

The family will hold a private memorial service on Tuesday, November 29, 2011. Malla's ashes will be reunited with those of her husband of sixty-five years, and consigned to San Francisco Bay.

Published in the Pasadena Star-News on November 23, 2011.

Burial: Cremated, Ashes scattered at sea.

Created by: Ryan Curtis Record added: Nov 23, 2011 Find A Grave Memorial# 80863175