Obituary of Rev. Gordon Roland Upton

Rev. Gordon R. Upton was born in Parkside, Saskatchewan in 1926, the second son born to Rev. and Mrs. George R. Upton. Gordon is one of the few surviving veterans of World War 2, having served as a Telegraphist and Radio operator in the Royal Canadian Navy. He served at the wireless short-wave station CFF at Naval Headquarters in Ottawa. Following the cessation of hostilities in 1945 and his discharge from the Navy, Gordon enrolled at Ryerson University in Toronto. in a government-sponsored course in Architectural Drafting. Upon completion of the program, he was placed in the Toronto architectural firm of Mathers and Haldenby with a view to continuing his studies and eventually obtaining his architectural license. However, in the fall of 1947, feeling a call to the ministry. he resigned his position with the architectural firm and enrolled in what is now Master's College and Seminary. Gordon's first appointment was as Assistant Pastor and Music Director at Calvary Temple in Winnipeg. He served there for three years. He was four years as pastor of Bethel Temple in Regina and sixteen years as pastor of Bethel Pentecostal Church in Ottawa. Simultaneously while in Ottawa he served on the Board of Directors of Eastern Pentecostal Bible College, a position he held for almost thirty years, ten of which he served as its chairman.

In 1973, Gordon was elected as Superintendent of the Eastern Ontario and Quebec District, a position which he held for almost ten years. Simultaneously he served as Manager of Lakeshore Pentecostal Camp. At the General Conference of 1982, he was elected to serve as the Executive Director of Home Missions and Bible Colleges of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. He was appointed by the General Executive to also serve as National Director of Men's Ministries. He retired from all offices in 1992. Following "retirement," he served a number of congregations as an interim pastor, assisting congregations in their time of transition between pastors. In 1996 he was invited by the General Executive to return to the National Office of the PAOC for one year to complete the unexpired term of the office of General Secretary-Treasurer. He retired at the age of 85. During the course of his ministry, his travels took him to more than thirty countries of the world, where he ministered in many of them.

During his "retirement" years, he authored and published two books. Gordon and Aileen moved to Shepherd Gardens in 2017 where Gordon became known as

"Pastor Gord" the piano player. After 69 years of happy marriage, Aileen passed into the presence of the Lord in 2020. Gordon continued on in the Gardens before moving into the Terrace in 2024 where he continued to serve as the pianist for two Hymn Sing sessions per week. The Uptons had two daughters, Judy of Oshawa, and Linda of Charlotte, North Carolina.