Gordon Burdett Barlow passed away on March 12, 2019. He was born on May 29, 1932 in Hastings, Michigan, the son of Paul and Mary (Smith) Barlow. He graduated from Hastings High School in 1952. On December 14, 1957, Gordon married Jane Brownell.
Gordon was an auctioneer from 1969 until the late 1990’s when he retired. He opened Barlow Auction House with his wife, Jane, in 1972. Gordon helped build the Gun Lake beaches from 1956 to 1959 and worked in manufacturing at Flexfab and Hastings Piston Rings. He started Barlow Realty in the mid-1970’s. He was also the producer and editor of Michigan Horseman’s Magazine. Gordon proudly served as a Flight Engineer in the Airforce from 1952-1956.
Gordon enjoyed growing and grafting trees, gardening, and collecting antiques and postcards. He looked forward to spending time with his family and loved having picnics with them. He was skilled at breeding and training horses on the family farm and enjoyed attending auctions and garage sales. Gordon was a member of the Hastings Area Rotary Club, the Gideons, Michigan State Auctioneers Association, and the Michigan Nut Grower’s Association. He was the President of the Michigan State Auctioneers Association in 1977 and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Hastings.
Gordon is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jane (Brownell) Barlow, daughters Deborah (Tim) Wisniewski, Diane (John) Haines, son David (Deborah) Barlow, grandchildren Sarah (Michael) Hofmann, Tyler (Hannah) Wisniewski, Michelle Krebs, Ashley (Dan) Terpstra, Brandon Haines, Alex Barlow, Dylan Wisniewski, and great-grandchildren Molly Krebs and Olivia Terpstra.
A service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, March 15, 2019 at Girrbach Funeral Home, 328 S Broadway, in Hastings, with the family receiving visitors at 1:00 PM. Burial will occur directly after the service at the Rutland Township Cemetery on North M37 with a memorial dinner to follow at Hope Township Hall. Arrangements by Girrbach Funeral Home in Hastings. To leave an online condolence, visit www.girrbachfuneralhome.net.
