Gordon Wesley Gillock, 80, died peacefully on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, at Via Christi St. Joseph in Wichita, Kansas.
Gordon is survived by his two daughters, LaDeana Marie Gillock of Lakin, Kansas, and Cynthia Janelle Gillock of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; his sister, Neva Janelle (Gillock) Quakenbush of Garden City, Kansas; his grandson, Zaine Prestin Gillock of Miami Gardens, Florida; and many bonus sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Jean (Hall) Gillock of Deerfield, Kansas; his son, Sheridan Munroe Gillock of Wichita, Kansas; his parents, Andrew Monroe and Ruby Maude (Goodman) Gillock of Deerfield; his brothers, Truman Carl Gillock and Myron Roe Gillock, both of Deerfield; and his sister, Mavis Arlene (Gillock) Thomas of Dodge City, Kansas.
Gordon graduated from Deerfield High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He later earned a master's degree in secondary education from Fort Hays State University.
After graduating from Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Gordon married Barbara Jean Hall of Liberal, Kansas, on June 9, 1968. They shared 48 years of marriage.
Gordon served three years in the U.S. Army. He often joked that he joined because “US ARMY” stood for “Uncle Sam Ain't Released Me Yet.” He completed basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas, which he described as a place with “nothing but cactus, sand, sagebrush, and scorpions.” He then attended Advanced Individual Training at Fort Eustis, Virginia, where he specialized in movement control.
Gordon spent a year in Vietnam at Long Binh and Newport Docks, just outside Saigon, serving as a Specialist 4 with the 368th Transportation Company. He worked as an office manager for two deep-draft berths, where merchant cargo ships were docked for loading and unloading. During his service, he was promoted to Specialist 5 and awarded the Purple Heart.
He returned to the United States and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, with the 501st Administrative Company of the 1st Armored Division. There, he supervised the CS3 (Combat Service Support Systems) office, an experimental project involving mobile computer systems for personnel and equipment accounting. He received an Army Commendation Medal for his service and was later transferred to the 1st Air Cavalry Division.
After leaving the military, Gordon spent a year as office manager at the Garden City Coop Feedlot in Deerfield. He and Barbara then moved to Dodge City, where he began his career as a certified public accountant with Hogue, Beebe & Trindle and later Elmer Fox & Company.
Over the following years, Gordon spent five years working as a CPA, five years as an assistant administrator at the Dodge City Medical Center and three years as a public accountant before moving his family back to the Garden City and Deerfield area.
Gordon went on to spend 23 years as a professor of accounting and computer science at Garden City Community College, retiring in 2008. After retirement, he became a Certified Lay Speaker in the United Methodist Church and regularly filled the pulpit at Methodist and Presbyterian churches throughout Southwest Kansas. It was work he loved. He was an active member of the Deerfield United Methodist Church and later the Deerfield Methodist Church.
Gordon and Barbara shared a love of dancing, particularly square dancing. They spent many Saturday nights dancing at halls in small towns throughout the region. Gordon also enjoyed line dancing and ballroom dancing. He often said, “Barbara was my best friend and my dance partner as well as my wife.”
His hobbies included dancing, model railroading, woodworking and gardening. In his younger years, he and his brother Myron spent considerable time hunting together. Gordon also enjoyed operating self-propelled mowers and spent many summers mowing for the Garden City Parks Department. He later worked several years mowing for the City of Lakin. As he explained, “I can give back that way.”
Gordon loved life and the people with whom he shared it. He was a familiar face at a Lakin coffee shop, where he could be found most mornings, except Sundays when the shop was closed. Sundays were generally reserved for attending church.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, at the Deerfield Methodist Church, with Pastor Greg Fletcher officiating. Burial will follow at Deerfield Cemetery, with military honors conducted by the United States Army Honor Guard and the Southwest Kansas Veterans Honor Guard.
The family suggests memorial contributions to the Gordon Gillock Memorial Fund, in care of Garnand Funeral Home in Lakin, Kansas.
