My friend Gordon Jorgensen passed away a year ago Febuary. His wife finaly decided it was time to sell his 53 Chevy Custom. Gordy and I and our other partner Cecil spent several years building this car. When I met Gordon all he had for tools was a cheap set in the trunk of his New Yorker, but he had a deep love for customs. He bought this 53 Chev Bel Air hardtop and the work began. He sold a duplex lot to build a shop so we could build it there. He bought all the tools and welders needed to do the job. He bought another 53 sedan to be the donor for a lot of the body parts needed to make the hardtop what he wanted. He was one of the fastest learners I have ever tried to teach, tell or show him once and he had it. I did most of the custom work and he did the grunt work until we got to the front end, then he did the headlights and most of the grill work. Cecil did most of the mechanical work. And we all three put in the mustang front end. Well to get to the point today I had to go over to his shop for the first time in three years, ( he had cancer and we didn't do anything for two years to the car ) I had to find all the parts needed for the car so his wife can sell it. They were hid all over the place. Luckily Gordy marked most of them. When I walked trough that door today all the memories came back to me. I'll try to share a few with you if you don't mind. There was 5 of us we called the Over The Hill Gang. One died on his Harley three years ago nd now Gordy is gone. Here is the five of us.
Thats a sad story,there used to be a group of us friends where i grew up in a place called ST.Albans in the uk.There were about 15 of us that used to mess about n stuff,the bad luck started when i was 16 my best mate Tim died on a motorcycle 2 days after he was 17 we had bought him lynard skynard "free bird " for his birthday,when i was 17 mate stu died in a knife fight with another mate kev and kev went 2 days after too.Colin died of a heroin overdose when i was 22,Carl and Bruce died in a bad car pile up.I'm now 39 this year and there are 7 left.I understand your loss fully and your sadness at you friends passing all i can say is GOD bless them all just remember the good times ,it's hard i still cry when i remember Tim as we were born on the same day in the same place and our parents moved to ST.Albans together but i can still remember some stupid stuff to laugh about................Marq
cadlights, you are a good friend to be there helping even after he's gone. I'm sure his wife is grateful. Paul
This is what it looks like now. I will be placing an ad in the classifieds in a bit, His wife needs the money. I know his has more than 20.000 invested in parts alone. This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Here is what I remember. Take care of your friends and family, ultimately that's all you have.
Hey Cadlights, sorry to hear about your friend. Let us know if there's something we can do to help out. In the meantime I'll pass the word about the '53... -HAM-
Thanks Ham, The car is is Syracuse Ut if you know any body that would be interested I'll be glad to show it. DAMN It!!
I finaly found the Photo of the Over The Hill gang, Good times. Two down three to go. I'm sorry if I got out of hand but I really miss Gordy and Merlin.
Nothing for you to be sorry about. Most of us can not only understand but sympathize with you as well. Thanks for sharing your memories with us. You were a true friend to Gordon in life and in death.
Cad this is so OT, ON TOPIC its amazing. Thats what we are all about friends rides and the memories. God Bless you for what you are doing and God Bless his family and friends...Danny
Danny, you are so right. This place is a lot like a family, and when one member of a family hurts we all do. Frank
Thank you all so much for understanding. We did most of our stuff on Wednesday nights. That is a very hard night for me. Here is one more shot of me and my buddy Gordy.
Keith - The memories of all the good times you shared with Gordy will live long after the pain of his passing subsides. Whenever I hear of a good friend passing I always think about how fortunate we are to have even one good friend in this world...there are many who go through life with none. Take care of yourself, you are in many HAMBers thoughts and prayers...
I know how you feel. We do the Memorial run every spring. Been doing it 10 years now. Last one was yesterday. Larry was added to the plaque a few days ago. These were all friends and guys who helped me along the way. Our local version of the Grove at Bakersfield.
Smokin Joe. I got to know Jerry Danks real good when he would come down to Gordy Brown's run at Cherry Hill in Kaysville. He was one of the best I ever met. Last time I seen him was at the Ogden swap meet, Had a big hole in his leg. That didn't seem to slow him down a bit, he just said when I'm gone I just hope people don't forget who I am. I never will. Here is a poem I wrote for Gordy's family after he passed away. I think it applies to a lot of our friends we've lost. To Lorna, Nick, Jake & Gina. I wrote this poem shortly after the last time I stopped & talked to my good friend Gordon. It isn't only about him but my visit with him inspired me to write it. I added the last paragraph when I heard he had passed on. I want you Lorna to know how much I thought of your husband, and I want you kid,s Nick, Jake & Gina to know how good a friend your father was and always will be to me. I hope I can always be a part of your lives & if you ever need anything just let me know. I'm really going to miss my ol buddy. TRUE FRIENDS The ol Buckaroo said to me one day, Listen up son to what I have to say. Hundreds of people in your life will come & go, Only a handful of them you will get to know. Treat them well if you must, But be mighty careful in who you trust. Although you may travel all over this land, You will be lucky if you can count your true friends on one hand. I was young at the time and I thought back then, Heck! right now my friends add up to more than ten. But over the years I have found out, The ol Buckaroo knew what he was talking about. A so called friend will tell you, Let me know if there's anything I can do. But when you need help & make the call, Most of them won't help at all. Most of them have an excuse, And to count on them is of no use. A true friend will come to help no matter what, He will drop what he's doing whether it's cold or hot. I've learned this the hard way over the years, Sometimes it's even brought me to tears. The ol Buckaroo was a true friend for sure, When I called for help he was shortly at my door. I lost one true friend when he passed away, But I can still remember his words to this day. Cause besides the wife & the kids you see, When I look at my hand true friends add up to three. But at my age that is not all that bad, Death has taken the other true friends I've had. I think back now and as long as I've been alive, I was real lucky because I've had a few more that five. My ol buddy Gordon was a true friend too, And now when I look at my hand there are only two. When my time comes I can only hope, My true friends will get together and toss me a rope. Keith L Adams Keep a good hold on the friends you have cause they are all you have.
Hey Cad, not to change the subject, but there's a swapmeet/car show this coming Sat at UVSC in Orem. There's going to be some of us heading down and would like to meet up sometime. Let me know...take care
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