Gordon W. Tanke had been living in Eden Prairie, MN with his wife, JoAnne.  He was age 85, when he passed away on November 19, 2025.  His Funeral Service is planned for December 4, 2025 at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 13600 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, MN.  Visitation is at 10 AM,and the service is at 11:00 AM.  Memorials preferred to St. Andrew.www.CremationSocietyofMN.com.  This notice was entered on Dec. 1, 2025..

After graduation in 1958 from St. Louis Park High School, Gordon joined the U.S. Navy and spent two years on the East Coast, often found (according to him) on ships floating around in the Atlantic Ocean.  After his service in the Navy, Gordon went back to school, learned a useful trade, and finally went to work as an electrician for the City of Minneapolis.  He was a Trouble Shooter for the Traffic Department and fixed many a stop-and-go traffic signal whose lights had burned out.  He continued to perform that important work for the next 30 years.

Along the way, in the late 1960s, until shortly after 1996, when Gordon retired, he owned and operated a small tree farm near Nevis, Minnesota.  That extra work brought him extra cash.  In 1971 he bought a house on Lake Minnetonka.  He very much enjoyed boating, water skiing, fishing, and snowmobiling with his friends.  Gordon always enjoyed international travel as well, and has visited many other countries.

In 1990 Gordon married JoAnne and thereby acquired three wonderful stepchildren and one granddaughter.  Their home is in Eden Prairie, where they enjoyed their friends, their church, their home and yard, hiking and biking.  They continued to travel in and out of our country.

Back in high school, we remember Gordon Tanke as a guy who principally enjoyed watching others work, whether that work was academic or sports.  He was a loyal friend to many.  It was said of him in the Echowan that, "Work fascinated him; he could watch others do it for hours."  That humor aside, we all suspect that Gordon Tanke was a devoted employee who got the job done for the City of Minneapolis for a continuous 30 years, earned a good retirement, and was kind enough to devote his time, talent, and finances to care for his wife and her children.  No doubt, they were glad to have Gordon around.