Gordon Bruce Silcox

Gordon Bruce Silcox, 84

Gordon Bruce Silcox passed away on Sunday, February 19th at Alexandria Hospital after a brief illness. He was born on May 11th, 1938 in Takoma Park, MD to Dr. Walter Bruce Silcox and Ruth May Davis Silcox. A lifelong Washingtonian, Gordon was raised in Alexandria with his sister Marjorie and brother Frank. He attended George Washington High School where he was student body president and member of the marching band. Once a friend of Gordon, always a friend of Gordon – a close group of classmates calling themselves the “Magnificent Seven” continued to meet and support each other throughout their lives.

Gordon was a 1960 graduate of Princeton University, where he was a member of the Quadrangle Club, a ROTC cadet, played the trombone in the Princeton University Band, and sometimes donned a dress for a rollicking show with the Triangle Club, the nation’s oldest collegiate musical-comedy troupe. Gordon’s love for Princeton was eternal and some of his best times were planning for Reunions and marching in the P-rade.

Post-graduation, Gordon served as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the Navy on the USS Charles Roan during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After his honorable discharge he received his MBA from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gordon had an extensive career in the executive recruiting and human resource consulting industries. He was dedicated to helping countless individuals further their careers and unlock their true potential. Following “retirement,” Gordon founded Words On Purpose, a boutique consulting firm specializing in executive coaching for those that were returning to the workforce or changing careers. He also worked closely with the Jewish Council on Aging, where he developed a curriculum for job seekers over 50 still in use today. Gordon believed that reinvention was possible at any age and spent his later years showing others what they could achieve.

Gordon led a passionate life; he loved Dixieland band music, Broadway shows and tragic operas, writing poetry, the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle, and taking “bites” of a dessert that someone else ordered. He adored woodworking and building things – everything from a backyard deck to a killer sandcastle at Sandbridge Beach. Only sometimes did his creative efforts result in stitches or a bad sunburn. Gordon was probably most proud of being part of the Guinness Book of World Record’s “Largest trombone ensemble”—368 players playing simultaneously at Nats Park in 2012.

Aside from family, Gordon’s greatest love was the outdoors. He went rafting in the Grand Canyon, spent a sabbatical in Glacier National Park, climbed Old Rag Mountain, and took an intrepid pack of Explorer Scouts hiking in Canada. He even enjoyed taking his daughters and their friends camping in the wilds of Prince William Forest Park. Or at least we’d like to think so.

Gordon is survived by his daughters Andrea Silcox (Jason Dix) of Richmond VA and Jessica Silcox (Matt Trenton) of Sterling VA, his former wife and friend Judie Silcox of Dumfries VA, sister Marjorie Moore of Tampa FL, sister-in-law Marian Silcox of Rapid City SD, nieces Meribeth Dudich (Mike) and Kelly Hill (John), and nephews Kevin Silcox (Sherri) and Mike Moore. He was preceded in death by brother Frank, brother-in-law Howard Moore, and his mother and father.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Christ Church Georgetown on Thursday, March 2nd at 11:00 am. A private burial with military honors will be held at a later date at Oakwood Cemetery in Falls Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy www.appalachiantrail.org or The InSeries Theater at www.inseries.org.

Dad, we promise to take only memories and leave only footprints.

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