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- 10 July 1979 Tonawanda News
Gorden Shell dies at age 74
Gorden C. Shell, 74, the organizer of Tonawandas Day at Crystal Beach, died yesterday at DeGraff Memorial Hospital after a lengthy illness.
In 1977 Twin Cities officials honored Mr. Shell, who resided at 269 Hinds St., Tonawanda, by proclaiming Tonawandas Day Gorden Shell Day. He said the proclamation made it the happiest day of my life.
Mr. Shell, when serving as president of the Tonawandas Lions Club in 1958, was seeking a way to obtain funds to improve the community when he thought of starting Tonawandas Day.
I was disgusted with selling light bulbs to raise money. So I was a man looking for a project, he said, in explaining how he thought of such an event.
Besides serving as president of the Lions Club, he also served as vice president and district governor of the organization. He was employed at the Courier-Express as a newspaper distributor for 42 years and retired in 1969.
Mr. Shell, active in political campaigns in North Tonawanda, where he had resided for many years, also served as a member of the Lumber Citys Housing Authority.
He is survived by his wife, Thelma H. (nee Haseley) and his children, Mrs. Tom (Madelyn) Lary of Paramount, Ca.; Mrs. Charles (Geraldine) Applegarth of Buffalo, Gorden C. Shell, Jr. of North Tonawanda, Mrs. Louis (Judith) Bird of Akron, Mrs. Thomas (Sharon) Henderson, Mrs. Peter (Gail) Wolf, both of Tonawanda, and Miss Nancy A. Miller of Newark, N.Y.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Creasey Memorial Chapel Inc., in Tonawanda.
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Abt 1905 - 1979 (~ 74 years)