Gordon Fauntleroy

It is with heavy hearts, we regret to inform you of the passing of Gordon Fauntleroy. He was a supportive and loving husband, father and Pop Pop to three granddaughters. 

Gordon Fauntleroy was born on January 10, 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in South West Philadelphia and graduated from Bartram High School in 1969. He went on to further his education at LaSalle College on a full athletic scholarship in Track and Field. There, he would later graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1975.

While attending college, Gordon lived under two aliases. By day, he worked as the assistant athletic Director at LaSalle college’s Hayman Hall. By night, he would DJ at the very popular Impulse Discotheque nightclub. A real-life Bat Man some might say. 

After college, Gordon started working in South Philadelphia at the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), which soon after would become Sunoco and then later on Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery. Gordon was a highly respected, dedicated and hardworking employee at the refinery and would eventually work his way up to become a Foreman Shift Supervisor. He worked at the refinery for 37 years before retiring in 2018. 

Throughout his life, Gordon had a love and immense passion for music. He inherited his love for music from his father and mother, Luther and Eleanor Fauntleroy (both deceased). Gordon could always be seen listening to music. Whether it was from his headphones while relaxing, portable speaker while attending to household chores, or iPod during his workouts, Gordon was never far from music. Although his first love was Jazz, he enjoyed various genres of music from R&B, Rock & roll, Latin, Disco, Soul, and occasionally Hip Hop; there was even a short period when he listed to Techno. You could literally hear and feel the vibrating sound of his base speakers emanating from his car, which some say could be heard from a minimum of 5 miles away. I’m not going to lie, the “Boom-Tiss-Boom-Tiss-Boom-Tiss” sound was infectious. It even made his family want to break out the glow sticks and beads for a rave at times 

During his Disc Jockey days is where he met Denise McCastle. He remained persistent to court her until they were wedded in 1981. They settled down in the suburbs right outside of Philadelphia County where they raised their family.

Gordon wasn’t a man of many words, but was the loudest in the room when it came to track & field, politics, comic books, and especially music. Some would even call him a music historian as he spent his free time avidly reading musician biographies & bibliographies, watching documentaries on music and organizing his extensive collection of vinyl records, cassette tapes, CDs and eventually MP3 files as modern technology progressed. 

Gordon was also a fitness enthusiast and enjoyed working out at the gym regularly, running, supplemental nutrition, and immersing himself in body building culture and all things physical fitness including but not limited to Spandex Tights. During his long shifts at the refinery, he would often do his work outs and lift weights at the refinery gym.

In the early morning of July 19, 2022, Gordon passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease and other underlying medical ailments and issues that led to his home going at the age of 70. 

He leaves behind his wife Denise Fauntleroy, his brother Luther Fauntleroy Jr., (sister in law – Helen Marie Fauntleroy), his daughter Danean Kimyanna Butts (son in law - Joseph Butts), his daughter Leah Rachel Fauntleroy and his son Marc Gordon Fauntleroy (daughter in law - Jasmine Fauntleroy). He also leaves behind in his legacy, his beautiful granddaughters Kayla, Isabella and Blake. He will be dearly missed and remembered by family and extended family members, friends and co-workers.