Gordon Lee Pobst

Gordon Lee Pobst November 23, 1938 - July 18, 2021 Wenatchee, Washington Gordon Lee Pobst was born on November 23, 1938, in Wenatchee, Washington to Aubrey and Mary Pobst. Growing up in Sunnyslope and Cashmere as a young boy, he could fulfill his childhood curiosity by roaming and exploring the fields, stream, and hillsides. When asked as a child about his favorite part of school he replied: "walking home." Later, as an adult, Gordon was surprised by his realization that it wasn't really that he disliked school, he just hadn't found what inspired or interested him. Gordon had a very tender heart. Family lore has it that when taken to see the movie Black Beauty as a young boy, he cried during the sad parts. Gordon's family moved back to Wenatchee during his middle school years, and he went on to graduate from Wenatchee High School, class of 57. He attended WVC and then U of W studying engineering. Taking a break from school, he and two friends explored Europe for six months. On their way home in 1961, they found themselves in the city for JFK's inauguration, so they decided to attend. When asked at the entrance who they were with, they said they were guests of the then WA Senator, Henry (Scoop) Jackson and they were escorted right up to the front! Gordon remembered how cold it was and how Robert Frost struggled to read his poem in the freezing weather. In 1962, Gordon joined the army and served 3 years. During his service he was a teacher of electrical engineering and served on a radar instillation battery. After his honorable discharge, he was hired as an engineer for the City of Wenatchee. In 1970, he became an engineer for General Telephone company. At this time, Gordon discovered his passion for learning, and without ever taking a computer class, created the first computerized line assignment at Wenatchee GTE. This was where he met his wife and life partner, Deborah (Leigh) Buchanan. After their marriage in 1980, Gordon and Leigh fulfilled another of Gordon's dreams by buying a sailboat. Checking out a book in the library on celestial navigation, Gordon learned how to navigate with a sextant in the back yard. His first 'real' navigation test came later that year at sea when he and Leigh sailed off to Hawaii and the South Pacific for a year. After 28 days at sea, Gordon felt a great sense of accomplishment (and relief!) when he saw Hawaii in the distance. When Gordon and Leigh returned, Gordon became a fulltime orchardist at the 60-acre orchard in Orondo that he and his brother Kenneth had started in the 1960's. Over the years they had cleared the sagebrush land and grafted and planted trees. Gordon's 'can do' spirit again surfaced when he and his brother built their own apple packing line and became their own fruit packers. After Kenneth retired in 1994, Gordon and Leigh continued running the orchard until 2016. Gordon and Leigh also continued their sailing adventures on their sailboat 'VIVRE' for many years in and around the NW waters and Gordon was able to continue skiing despite having Parkinson's disease, until his late 70's. Gordon's later years were interwoven with the journey of Parkinson's. Again, his indomitable spirit and 'can do' attitude helped him face every challenge with courage and acceptance. His tender heart and kindness continued to shine, and he was loved by all who cared for him, especially his wife and Caring Cottage family. The family wishes to thank Miriam and Caring Cottage for their excellent care of Gordon, but most of all for their loving hearts. Gordon is survived by his wife, Deborah (Leigh); sister, Patty Christensen; brother, Dennis Pobst (Debbie); and sister-in-law, Eleanor Pobst. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Alan and Kenneth Pobst. If you wish, memorials may be made to the charity of your choice. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.