Jon Michael (Mike) Gaston

On January 3, Mike Gaston passed away peacefully, surrounded byfamily members and with the love of family and friends in his heart.Mike was born in Michigan in 1936. At age 7, he was given a chemistryset, which he augmented with more toxic, noxious and flammableagents. Among other things, the set ignited a passion for the field, andhe graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree inchemical engineering and as a member of the Alpha Chi Sigmachemical engineering fraternity. In high school, he lettered in track, football and basketball, played percussion in thepep band, and - most importantly -- met Nancy, the love of his life.Mike spent his career with Union Carbide, spending decades as a projectmanager/director. He and Nancy and their growing family moved frequently (including 4years in Geneva, Switzerland) and travelled extensively - ultimately, Mike visited morethan 80 countries. Mike enjoyed travelling; tennis (with a wicked spin!); Rotary (he served as president ofthe Greater Clark County Rotary Club, and founded the Lunch Buddies program);politics (he was proud of encouraging civil discourse; served as county chair andreceived a lifetime achievement award from the Clark County Republican Party);artwork (he collected art, as well as painted, created stained glass and made hisdaughters awesome Halloween costumes); and his faith community (he was a churchElder and loved being a percussionist in the choir at First Presbyterian Church).The last few years, he lived bravely with esophageal cancer, deliberately making themost of every minute of every day. He was grateful for the support of the VancouverClinic, the Legacy health system, Peace Health Hospice and the kindness andcompassion of the health professionals. He faced his illness like he lived - with graceand a particularly wicked sense of humor. Mike is survived by his wife of 65 years; daughters Cynthia (Richard), Kathleen (Rick),Beth (Rusty); grandson Michael and great-granddaughter Brooke.In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Rotary Foundation, First PresbyterianChurch of Vancouver, or a charity of your choice.Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 11 at First Presbyterian Church inVancouver. For information about livestreaming the service, see: www.vanfpc.church.

Jon Michael (Mike) Gaston

March 12, 1936 - January 3, 2025