Gordon and Lorna Gitten’s

This Valentine’s Day we wanted to share the heart-warming love story of Gordon and Lorna that has developed into long-term love and support of St Oswald’s Hospice.

At a local dance hall in Whitley bay, Scotsman Gordon, originally of Lanarkshire, asked local girl Lorna to dance.

“When I saw Lorna, I just had to ask her to dance and she said yes. Oh it was wonderful, we danced the rest of our lives together! Always hand in hand, we were made for each other.”

Sweethearts Gordon and Lorna were engaged for three years before marrying in the early 1960’s and enjoyed a long marriage of 63 happy years together. They enjoyed life and were able to travel the world and explore their love of arts and culture, regularly visiting theatres, and cinemas together They also never stopped dancing.

“We had 63 very happy years together, we were perfect partners and loved each other very much. Our wedding day was the happiest day of my life! We had a lot of fun together – always having fun. We loved the sunshine and liked to travel the world, Lorna was always curious to see something different. Once we were both retired we enjoyed cruising and continued to travel, but our hearts were also in Northumberland. We enjoyed walking in the hills and taking in the scenery especially, around the Cheviots. We loved to explore, taking picnics with us we could be out all day.

Lorna loved the outdoors, she especially enjoyed seeing the birds and flowers and we both loved being part of the Church and the community. That was very important to us.
We had a fun life together, we were very happy.”

Lorna came to the Hospice for end of life care in 2016, and when she died, Gordon was by her side.

“St Oswald’s is the best place, I am so grateful to them as they took great care of Lorna and of me.  They made me feel welcome too, I was never in the way and they let me stay with Lorna and hold her hand, like we always did. It’s a very special place, and when Lorna was happy, I was happy.”

After Lorna’s death, Gordon continued to support St Oswald’s Hospice, donating in her memory so we can give the same care to other patients and their families.  Remembering the Hospice alongside remembering loved ones is important to Gordon who speaks openly about leaving a gift to the Hospice in his Will. Lorna is remembered fondly and continues to be a part of the Hospice as her name stands proudly on a leaf, on the memory tree in our garden.

“St Oswald’s really is a special place, I left a gift in my Will because I wanted to give something back. They really looked after us, and they still look after me now, I am so grateful for the lasting friendship. I come back sometimes to see Lorna’s name and light a candle in the chapel and just take a moment. It’s a really special place.”

Speaking of Valentine’s Day and sharing his story Gordon remembers Lorna’s love of flowers;

“Lorna loved fresh flowers! Pink carnations were her favourite. I bought them every year for her and still do. I loved her very much.”

We’d like to give our thanks to Gordon for sharing his story with us this Valentine’s Day and remembering his beloved Wife Lorna.