Gordon Bright Beith's Obituary
Gordon Bright Beith passed away on Feb. 4, 2023, after a four-year battle with malignant melanoma.
Gordon was born in on Dec. 15, 1959, in Melbourne, Australia, to Ian and Harley (Parker) Beith. He graduated from Banyule High School and in 1982 earned a bachelors degree in electrical & electronic engineering from Swinburne Institute of Technology, where he also met his wife, Suzie Ong. They married in 1987. Suzie and their daughter, Aryana, were the ever-shining lights of his life. He loved them intensely. After beginning his career at Ericsson Australia, Gordon was posted to Spain, Germany and Sweden. In 2000, he came to the U.S., where he worked for Cisco and then in a succession of roles with increasing responsibilities at a half-dozen data/communications network testing companies. Since 2001, Gordon’s family lived in San Jose, California, just a mile from Suzie’s twin sister, Eileen, and her husband and son. A skilled and successful technical, product management and marketing professional, Gordon also passionately maintained -- completely undiluted by time -- his youthful enthusiasm for rock music, Australian Rules football and beer. He played on numerous school and adult “footy” teams, later taking it a bit easier as an umpire. He’d strap on his guitar at the drop of a hat to jam and sing with friends or in bands. In San Jose, he organized an online club that would gather to sample local beers (at least) once a month. He was funny, raucous and liked by all who met him. He never grew old in spirit.
Gordon was also valiant and strong. He never complained about the pain his cancer or treatments brought, except that they were "a bloody inconvenience." At Stanford Hospital, he was joking with visitors and asking for Aussie meat pies and beer until just a few hours before he passed. Gordon is survived by his wife and daughter, and also by his siblings, Rodney, Eileen and Lisa of Australia. He is predeceased by his parents.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to the Melanoma Research Alliance (https://give.curemelanoma.org/) if you are based in the US, or the Melanoma Institute Australia, where his cousin Lis has set up a fund in Gordon's name (https://inmemory.melanoma.org.au/page/GordonBrightBeith), if you are based in Australia.
His ashes will be interned in Australia.
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