Cecile Helena Gordon (Hemsley) passed away peacefully at her home in Oak Bluffs, Mass. on Monday, Oct. 27, 2014 at the age of 88.
Cecile was born Oct. 19, 1926 to Marion and Christopher Hemsley in Boston. She was educated in the Boston Public Schools and was a graduate of Roxbury Memorial High School for Girls. She was a longstanding member of the Berea Seventh Day Adventist Church in Roxbury.
In the early 1940s, Cecile met and shortly thereafter married H. Lynn Gordon II, and from that union were born a son, H. Lynn III, and a daughter, Gayle Helena.
Cecile had a long career as a manager of community affairs at the New England Telephone Company. In 1990, she attended classes in urban affairs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., where she earned a master’s degree.
Very active in the Boston community, Cecile served as president of the Freedom House in Roxbury; served on the Draft Board in the early 1960s; was the past Matron of the Celestial Chapter #6 Order of the Eastern Star, Prince Hall Grand Chapter, Grove Hall. Cecile served on the board of United Way; was president of the Corporate Volunteer Council of Greater Boston; and was an active member of the Circle-Lets, Inc. In 1987, she received the Outstanding Contributor Award from the Board of Hope and the Hispanic Leadership Development Project. In 1990, she was the proud recipient of the 61st Annual Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
In 2005, Cecile moved to Martha’s Vineyard as a year-round resident, where she resided until her death.
She leaves her children, H. Lynn Gordon III, Oak Bluffs; Gayle Gordon Rogers, Oak Bluffs and Eastham, Mass.; sisters Yvonne Wrenn (Curtis), Glendale, Calif. and Elayne Billups (Bill), Bronxville, N.Y.; her cousin, Emily Robertson, Oak Bluffs; granddaughters Kimberly Rogers and Courtney Rogers Werner (Bryan), both of Las Vegas; five great-grandchildren, two nieces and a host of relatives, friends and colleagues.
Cecile will be fondly remembered for her sense of style, gardening, interior decorating and her zest for reading and travel.
In lieu of flowers, donations made in Cecile’s name to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, P.O. Box 6012, Albert Lea, MN 56007-9805, would be greatly appreciated.
A spring memorial service is being planned.
