Gordon Hondorp ’57
Dr. Gordon R. Hondorp, M.D. passed peacefully from this earth on July 6, 2024 in Elk Grove, California. He was 88 years old.
Born on December 27, 1935, Gordon was raised in a loving household in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He attended Hope College (Holland, MI) where he met the love of his life, Mary Lou Van Es. After attending the University of Michigan for medical school and serving a two-year stint as a doctor in the Air Force, Gordon and family moved to San Jose, California. He chose to establish his medical practice on the East Side of the burgeoning Silicon Valley, and lovingly cared for thousands of patients in his 39 years of practice, primarily at Alexian Brothers Hospital (now Regional Medical Center), where he served as Chief of Staff and was on the Board of Directors. He was actively involved in the lives of the Church of the Chimes (San Jose), and, with Mary Lou, was a founding member of the church plant New Hope Community Church (Fremont), where he served on the Board of Elders.
As committed as he was to serving others through his medical practice or through the church, Gordon cherished family time dearly – in the form of family trips, reunions or simple meals around a table, where laughter and joy were always present.
Gordon will be remembered for his hearty laugh, his generous smile, his boisterous and enthusiastic greetings of friends and strangers alike, his commitment to all things family, and his steadfast faith in Christ. He truly lived out the edicts of his life verse, Micah 6:8.
Gordon is preceded in death by his father Henry, his mother Hazel and his sister Carol. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary Lou; his four children, Kim Lubich (Mark) of Galt, Greg Hondorp (Marilyn) of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Paul Hondorp (Jennifer) of Bowling Green, Kentucky; and Kara Link (Gary) of Elk Grove; 12 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on July 26, 2024, 3:00 pm at LifePointe Christian Church in Elk Grove, CA (10291 E. Stockton Blvd.). For those unable to attend in person, the recorded service will be available upon request (phondo@gmail.com).