Andrew (Andy) Gordon was born on December 28, 1963 and moved around the province, as his father was an OPP officer in the eastern region of Ontario. He joined the Air Cadets and achieved the highest cadet rank. Next he was involved with the Cameron Highlanders Militia and he played in the pipe and drum band. He was a good athlete and especially enjoyed scuba diving.

After he left high school in Kanata, having achieved the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in his spare time, he went to Algonquin College to earn a diploma in computers but decided to try out for a police career instead.

Gordon applied to join the OPP and was accepted on February 9, 1987. He spent some time at Morrisburg along the seaway before coming to Madoc detachment. Constable Gordon relieved sometimes-quiet patrol nights by miming cartoon characters and enlivened situations with his infectious sense of humour.

Constable Gordon had been just over five years on the job when he and his partner were dispatched to investigate a minor hit and run accident in Marmora. While travelling on Highway 62 they encountered a speeding oncoming vehicle that veered into the southbound lane slamming into the police car. The other officer was injured in the collision and Constable Gordon was trapped in the burning police car and killed, as were the male and female occupants of the speeding car. The driver was drunk.

At the time of his untimely death, Andy Gordon was engaged to be married in two weeks’ time.

Madoc members recall Andy Gordon in a very tangible way. There is a flowering crab tree planted in his memory on the grounds as well as a plaque on the front lawn mounted on a slab of locally mined quartzite. In 1998 Nine District of the OPPA gave a pulpit bible in his name to the Actinolite United Church in Tweed on its 134 years’ anniversary.