Obituaries

Gordon Kanable, known as Gordy to friends and family, was a man of few words and few complaints. He just wanted to be comfortable.

On any given day, you could find him wearing a white T-shirt with a blue or plaid short-sleeve button-down shirt and a pair of shorts, even when it wasn’t summer.

From helping to build a shed or finish a basement to crafting a coffee table or puzzles for his grandkids, he was skilled at woodworking. He was always available to help install a dishwasher or microwave, plant trees and bushes, or explain how to do any number of home maintenance tasks. For many years, he also fabricated items for his wife, Mary, to rosemal.

Gordy has three sisters who survive him: Alyce (Fred) Hartley, Kathy (John) Wells, and Sandra (Richard) Morris. They all grew up on the outskirts of Tomah, Wisconsin, and had quite a few relatives in the area, mostly on their mother’s side.

In the early 1960s, while in high school, Gordy became friends with Mike Christianson, the older brother of Mary, who would later become Gordy’s wife. That’s how he met Mary, though they did not date at that time. After graduating from high school in 1963, Gordy went off to college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. But after a couple years, he decided college wasn’t for him, and he joined the U.S. Air Force.

After training, he was deployed to Thailand where he was stationed at a variety of air bases during the Vietnam War. He spent only about a week in the country of Vietnam for some training before being pulled out due to increased fighting in the area. In Thailand, he spent his free time riding his motorcycle with his friends or swimming in the canals to beat the oppressive heat. After a couple years, he returned to the U.S., was honorably discharged, and completed his service.

Gordy returned to Wisconsin and got a job in Madison working for “the telephone company,” where he worked for a succession of communications giants, from Bell System to AT&T. As a member of the Communications Workers of America union and telecommunications installer, his career spanned from the time of teletype machines and telephone wiring to computer data lines and broadband installations. Working in crawl spaces, ceilings, and other awkward spaces, he helped connect the Madison area to the Worldwide Web.

Upon his relocation to Madison, he reconnected with Mary, who also worked for the telephone company at that time. They would talk about Mary’s roommates, who Gordy also knew. He would visit their apartment, and that’s when Gordy and Mary began dating.

They made a few trips to Warrens together. In due time, he proposed marriage. Gordy and Mary were married at the First Baptist Church in Warrens, Wisconsin, on May 16, 1970.

As newlyweds, they lived in a trailer house in Madison for a few years before buying a new house in DeForest, Wisconsin. Gordy’s sister, Kathy, and her husband, John, were living nearby, so they had a family connection in the area. Mary still lives in that house today.

In addition to his sisters, Gordy is survived by two children, Ryan (Rebecca) Kanable and Jason (Lisa) Kanable; four grandchildren, Spencer, Alexander, Sydney, and Ethan; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Freda Kanable.

In the last years of his life, Gordy was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, which affected his balance, muscles, vision, basic body functions, and speech. Near the end of his illness, he lost his ability to swallow and eat the foods he enjoyed. His legs weren’t strong enough for him to stand or walk, and the man of few words could speak no words. Nonetheless, he continued on, exercising with various stress balls—one looked like a tree trunk with a squirrel that popped out when squeezed, which he would laugh about—as long as he was able. We were reminded that Gordy was tough, the kind of tough that doesn’t bother with Novocain at the dentist. As his wife, Mary, said, “He sure has a strong constitution.”

Some of his favorite activities included watching movies or sports on TV, going to Culver’s, and eating mini donuts from Casey’s even when it wasn’t breakfast.

In a variety of unassuming ways, the world was better with Gordon Kanable in it.

His family is thankful for the staff at the Columbia County Health Care Center for all that they did to make our days brighter and for the work they continue to do for others. We also thank Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services for their assistance.

A memorial visitation will be held on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Ryan Funeral Home, 6924 Lake Road, DeForest. Military honors will be provided at 3 p.m. Interment will follow at the Moravian Cemetery in DeForest.

To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.