Gordon Crawford Fell

Gordon Crawford Fell
May 24, 1932 to November 30, 2015

Gordon Crawford Fell, age 83, passed away peacefully at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland after a brave battle with lung cancer.

Gordon was married to MaryAnne Fell (deceased) for 47 years and is survived by his four children; Elizabeth Lynn (Larry Lynn, deceased), Cynthia Swafford (Sandy Swafford), Mark Fell (Kelly), and Jennifer Dill (Stephen Dill). Grandfather to Christopher Nicholson, Andrew Fell, Kenneth Harrell, Melissa Fell, Kari Fell, Katrina Dill, Casey (Sarah) Dill and Keegan Dill; Great-Grandfather to Caleb Nicholson and Ainsely Dill; brother of Thomas T. Fell and Christine Gebhard (both deceased); Uncle to Kathryn Fell, Alyce Fell (deceased), Thomas Fell and Charles Fell (Marianne Worley), Edward Middleton and Russell (Sherry) Gebhard; and Great Uncle (and surrogate Grandpa) to Ben Houk.

Gordon grew up in Ruxton and Bethesda, Maryland and the District of Columbia.  He graduated from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, attended the University of Maryland and served in the U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division, Company I, 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.  He worked for more than 40 years for the intellectual property firm of O’Brien and Jacobson, of Washington D.C. as a patent agent practicing before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.   After retiring from patent work, Gordon continued working extensively full-time in the property maintenance field until July 2015.

Gordon was generous with his time and volunteered for many community and civic organizations.   He donated his boats and his time to service as a Rescue Boat for the Presidents’ Cup Speed Boat Regatta, held for many years at Haynes Point, Washington, D.C.  He was long time member of the Greenbelt American Legion.  Moreover, he was a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose for some 30 years where he served on a number of committees and donated countless hours of his time toward various functions and community service efforts over the years; many alongside his best friend Thomas Saylor.

Gordon enjoyed boating, sailing, white water rafting, water skiing, fishing, shuffleboard, pool and amateur photography. He enjoyed exploring his family’s roots including his direct descendants to the founders of the Quaker Church in England and subsequently, the United States.  In 2014 Gordon traveled with his daughter Jennifer to his ancestral home of Swarthmore Hall in England.  His spirited personality will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

The family will receive friends of Gordon at the Donaldson Funeral Home, 313 Talbot Avenue, Laurel, MD 20707 on Thursday evening, December 3, 2015 from 7pm to 9pm.  A private family grave side service will be held on Friday, December 4, 2015.

 Service Information