Gordon (Gordy) Allured, 68

Gordon (Gordy) Allured, 68, died peacefully Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, at his home in Woodburn, Ore., after a long courageous battle with Parkinson's disease (36 years) and Lewy Body Dementia (six-plus years).

Gordy was born Jan. 23, 1954, to Robert and Ruth (Hart) Allured, at the Community Hospital in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. His family roots were cemented in Bonners Ferry where his parents and grandparents, "Slim" and Lucy Allured, are buried at the Bonners Ferry Cemetery.

Gordy attended the Northside Grade School, the old junior high school and Bonners Ferry High School. Gordy, who graduated in 1972, was one of 66 seniors to attend all 12 grades in Bonners Ferry. Gordy was a natural born athlete from the time he could walk. He excelled in basketball, baseball, football, track and golf and held the Idaho state high jump record of 6 foot, 7 inches for many years. Gordy loved and appreciated his family, his friends (too many to name) and the community he grew up in.   

He held a degree in health science education from Pacific College in Forest Grove, Ore., and taught health and PE for two years in Scappoose, Ore. During that time, Gordy was also being mentored by Jack Garrison, owner of the Nautilus Plus Fitness clubs, eventually managing some of the largest health clubs in Oregon. He later became a partner and manager of the Princeton Athletic/Health Club in downtown Portland.  

Gordy met Sharon Ferguson, the love of his life, at the Princeton. They married on Feb. 11, 1994, in Hillsboro, Ore., and spent their first six years together renovating their home in West Slope, a suburb of Portland. As Gordy's Parkinson's slowly progressed, they moved to central Oregon to be closer to Sharon's family.

He still enjoyed golfing, working out and following the Bonners Ferry Badger boys basketball team via internet. Soon, Gordy's dream was to move to Bonners Ferry, build a home and coach basketball. In 2004, his dream came to fruition. He and Sharon moved to Bonners Ferry, built a beautiful home and Gordy coached boys' varsity basketball for six years. His love and dedication for coaching as well as for his players led the Badgers to three Intermountain League championships, three 3A District 1 titles and four trips to the state tournament.

Due to the increasing symptoms of Parkinson's, he retired from coaching in 2010. Gordy and Sharon loved the many things that Bonners Ferry offered: friends, hiking, the beautiful lakes, Mirror Lake Golf course, Under the Sun, Mugsy's, The Panhandle restaurant, Jill's, Kootenai River Inn, The Chic ’n' Chop, Three-Mile truck stop and many others. At the top of the list was adopting their "best friend" and constant companion Sam (aka Shorty), their yellow Lab, on Dec. 14, 2009.

In 2014, the family moved to Eagle Crest in Redmond, Ore., again to be closer to Sharon's family. That was the year Gordy gave up driving due to his Parkinson's. Living on a golf course for four years was another dream come true for Gordy. He was still able to golf some the first two years, then enjoyed sitting on the deck overlooking the 13th fairway.

Gordy began hallucinating in the fall of 2015 as his journey with Lewy Body Dementia began. In 2018, the family made one final move to Woodburn, Ore., to be closer to Sharon's sister, Sandra, a retired hospice nurse, and family. They bought a sweet little house in the Woodburn Senior Estates. It was the perfect place for them for what they had going on in their lives. There they were close to medical facilities, shopping, golfing, parks. A visit to Bauman's Farm & Garden became a weekly event.

As Gordy's diseases progressed, they bought a golf cart and were able to take Sam for rides to the park and around the community. Sam died peacefully at home on Oct. 15, 2020. Gordy was entering the later stages of dementia when a fall sent him to the hospital. He was put on hospice when he was released to go home. The hospice nurse, chaplain and Sandra all commented how peaceful Gordy was in his transition. Gordy loved and wanted to be home during the last three to four years of his life. He took his final breath on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, at 12:53 a.m. with Sharon at his side.  

Gordy was preceded in death by his father, Robert Allured; his mother, Ruth (Hart) Allured; and his sister, Nancy (Allured) Bender

In lieu of flowers or donations, Sharon requests giving something to ease the burden of a caregiver. An hour or two of respite a month, a meal, a listening ear, some flowers, or simply a hug can shine some light into the darkness of their world.

A special thank you to our niece, Allison (Bender) Kaufman for helping me with the obituary while I was too distraught to think straight. I am blessed beyond words for the life and love that Gordy and I shared. His greatest gift to me was his peaceful passing.

A gathering of family and friends will be scheduled in the future with a notice going into the Bonners Ferry Herald.