Charles “Chuck” Gordon

November 13, 1932 - April 1, 2024

Resident of Mountain View

Longtime Mountain View resident and community leader, retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge, the Honorable Charles “Chuck” Gordon, 91, passed away on April 1, surrounded by family and his loving wife, Dorothea.

Chuck was born November 13th, 1932, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the oldest son of Patricia Finberg Gordon and Herman Gordon. Inseparable in youth from his younger brother, Robert “Bobby” (despite their dueling allegiances to The Red Sox and Braves) together they came of age during the war years in small town New England, filled with a multitude of close-knit relatives on both his mother’s and father’s sides of the family, including over 25 first cousins. Prior to college Chuck attended the Fay School and Phillips Academy/Andover, where he was a standout pitcher on the school baseball team.

He attended Harvard from 1950-1954, graduating with an A.B. in American Government, after which he moved west to attend Stanford University Law School, graduating in 1957. In June of 1958, he married Dorothea Miriam Deutsch (Gordon) of Seattle Washington who was the initial breadwinner working at the time for the county of San Francisco as a social worker. During this period, Chuck also began serving in the Army National Guard/Reserves at Fort Ord in Monterrey and later as part of the JAG Reserves unit at the Presidio in San Francisco. An attorney for nearly 20 years, in 1977 he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to be a Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge. He served for 19 years on the bench until his retirement in 1996, during which time he also served as Chairperson for the California Center for Judicial Education and Research Family Law Program, and Chair of the Santa Clara County Superior Court Long-Range Planning Committee.

Living continuously in Mountain View since 1958, over the years Chuck was an active member of numerous civic and charitable organizations. He was a member or served as a director for the Mt. View Board of Permit Appeals, the Mt. View Junior Chamber of Commerce (honored as "Young Man of The Year" in 1960), the Santa Clara County United Way, the Palo Alto Jewish Community Center, the Santa Clara County Family Services Agency, the Mountain View Community Services Agency and the Lions Club.

Beginning in 1962, at age 30, Chuck was elected to serve on the Mountain View City Council (the youngest person ever elected up to that point), and was re-elected four consecutive times over 15 years, including two years as Mayor in 1965 and 1966. Known for his honesty, integrity, generosity and wonderful sense of humor, during his tenure on the city council Chuck was always a thoughtful advocate for his constituents and a leading (sometimes lonely) voice for single family neighborhoods and controlled, sustainable growth, on the brink of Silicon Valley’s boom -- most proud of being instrumental in the acquisition and development of several beloved city parks, including Cuesta, Shoreline and Rengstorff, and the building of the first library in Mountain View.

Throughout his life, Chuck pursued and enjoyed an eclectic range of hobbies and interests, including photography, fly fishing, orchid growing, bonsai shaping, tap dancing, clarinet playing, ceramics, and, with the advent of genealogy software, researching his and Dorothea’s family trees. He always derived immense joy and pleasure working with his hands, tending and nurturing their flower-filled front and backyard gardens, flush with rose bushes and fruit trees, centered around a zen-inspired waterfall and koi pond he built after an inspirational trip to Japan.

Besides schooling his progeny at Wizard, Gin Rummy and Dominos, Chuck’s robust post-retirement life included lots of traveling; regular attendance at The San Francisco Symphony; officiating at numerous wedding ceremonies for offspring of special family and friends; many grandchildren-centered activities, and sporting events; and making the switch from being an avid tennis player to an irrepressible golf enthusiast. He especially loved planning golf excursions with his buddies to Palm Springs. And, when service called, he continued to answer, serving as a member of the El Camino Hospital Foundation Board, as well as President of the Los Altos Golf and Country Club.

Chuck was blessed with a kind and supportive team of caretakers, family & friends, led by his eternally devoted & selfless wife Dorothea, who brought comfort & dignity to his final years. Father, grandfather, husband, brother, son & friend, Charles “Chuck” Gordon was a genuinely caring soul & eternally thoughtful human being, devoted to his family, friends & the community he loved. May his memory be a blessing.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothea M. Gordon; his children Lisa Gordon, Mark Gordon and David Gordon; his daughter-in-law, Elsie Gordon; grandchildren, Eve Zelinger, Aaron Zelinger, Camille Zelinger, Jake Gordon and Max Gordon; his brother, Robert Gordon, and Robert’s partner, Marjorie Mann.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be to:

Child Advocates of Silicon Valley www.childadvocatessv.org or The El Camino Health Foundation www.elcaminohealth.org