Lena Swofford Gordon

April 30, 1945 - January 4, 2020

On January 4, 2020 Lena Swofford Gordon passed into God's heavenly kingdom, where she is blessedly free from Alzheimer's Disease. Lena was born in Ashe County, NC on April 30, 1945 to Lexie and J. L. Swofford, both of whom had long careers as educators in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system. Lena graduated from East Mecklenburg High School ('63) and the Women's College of the University of North Carlina ('67) (now known as the University of North Carolina at Greensboro). She spent her career as a teacher in the Winston-Salem, Prince William County, Virginia, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, where she taught until her retirement. Lena was active in the Matthews community. For several years she served as president of the Matthews Women's Club Service League. She was a member of the Altar Guild at Messiah Lutheran Church and served in Messiah's Stephen's Ministry. She was a faithful friend to many people and was always willing to lend a helping hand or a listening ear. We lost track long ago of how many bridal and baby showers she threw for her friends and their daughters. Lena was preceded in death by her brother, Robert Swofford, and her sister-in-law, Linda Clayton Swofford. She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Richard Gordon, her loving daughter, Kathleen Gordon, her beloved grandchildren, Max and Lily Hudson, her brother, Donald Swofford and his wife, Selina, her sister, Jean Terrien and her husband, Michael, her niece and nephews, Karen Greenoe and her husband, George, Michael Swofford, Preston Firestone, and her great-nieces Giles and Mills Greenoe. All of us will miss her beautiful smile, her kindness, and her baking prowess, among many other things. A memorial service celebrating Lena's life will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church, 8300 Providence Road, on Friday, January 10, 2020 at 2:00 p.m., with a reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601, http://ALZ.org, or the Matthews Help Center, P.O. Box 91, Matthews, NC 28106, http:// matthewshelpcenter.org/. Lena’s family has given the family of Lowe-Neddo Funeral Home the privilege of caring for her and for them. To share memories, photos and condolences, please visit her online memorial at www.LoweNeddoFuneralHome.com or call 704-545-3553.