Gordon Ray Bystrom

Gordon Bystrom led a very full life. His passions were God, family and traveling and he was well versed in all three. Gordon was born in Tulsa Oklahoma and raised in Wyoming. He spent a lot of his childhood hiking, camping and fishing on Casper Mountain and Yellowstone National Park. Gordon returned to Oklahoma to attend the University of Tulsa where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in petroleum engineering. While in grad school in Tulsa he met his wife of 54 years, Annetta. They went on to have 3 children ,Greg, Alisa and Clark. Not long after Gordon and Annetta were married and he was working for Exxon, he was offered a job opportunity to relocate to Venezuela in South America. So Gordon took his growing family to live in the jungles of Venezuela. Their neighborhood was built in a cleared out area of jungle surrounded by a barbed wire fence to keep wildlife and danger away. The entrance to the neighborhood was protected with armed security guards. Being in this part of the world allowedGordon to travel with his family to Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Argentina and Barbados just to name a few. After returning to Dallas, Gordon began consulting with petroleum engineering software companies. He eventually owned his own company calledGarrett Computing Systems, later known as Landmark Software, which was purchased by Haliburton when Gordon retired. Gordon would go on to travel to China, Europe, Canada, Alaska, Mexico and most of the United states throughout his life. One constant throughout Gordon’s life has been his faith in God. No matter what point he was at in his life, he strived to spread the message of the Bible. While in Venezuela, he helped build the first Baptist church in his area. When Gordon and his family returned to the United States he helped found two more churches: Forest Meadows Baptist Church in Dallas, then Lake Ridge Bible Church in Mesquite where he and his wife were long time members after their children started their own families. Gordon’s family would grow to include 6 grandchildren: Brianna, James, Willow, Hope, Madeline and Meredith. Gordon Bystrom’s legacy as a father and grandfather and love for God and his family will remain forever in the lives he has touched. Gordon Ray Bystrom was born on July 8, 1932 and passed away on March 23, 2019. Gordon is preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Annetta Gay Bystrom;parents: George Bystrom and Goldie Bodin Bystrom; and sister, Lois Donaldson. Gordon is survived by his children: Gregory Bystrom and wife Linda, Alisa Robinson and husband John, Clark Bystrom and wife Maureen; grandchildren: Hope and Willow Bystrom, Brianna Hales and husband Scott, James Robinson and Madeline and Meredith Bystrom.