As Gordon Dunlop, Sr. struggled with COVID-19, two Jefferson Health nurses gave his family the chance to be there.
At his best, he was the life of the party. Now, Gordon Dunlop Sr. lay in a Philadelphia hospital bed, stricken with COVID-19.
The FaceTime call came in a little after 11 p.m., April 15, 2020. John Dunlop and wife, Melissa, huddled around a phone, eyes locked on the screen showing the 86-year-old Dunlop patriarch, surrounded by Jefferson Torresdale Hospital professionals.
Gordon Dunlop, Jr., Gordon Dunlop III and Gordon Dunlop Sr.
The midnight hour would mark six months since the Dunlops lost Barbara, Gordon’s beloved wife and mother of their three children. Then, the family circled her bed. There were in-person prayers, tears and expressions of love. Now, the U.S. grappled with a pandemic that forced months-long separations from families, loved ones and communities.
The circumstances were less than ideal. But, in those moments, that didn’t matter. John and Melissa treasured being with Gordon, even virtually. And it all happened because of the kindness and quick thinking of two nurses: Jennifer and Meghan.
“They recognized the humanity for us and this poor man who is suffering,” Melissa said of the nurses who helped the family see Gordon. “They saw that while being afraid.”
Nearly three hours after the FaceTime call, the phone rang once more with the news every child dreads. The voice on the other end was one of the nurses who held Gordon’s hand as he saw his family one last time. John was the last person to speak to his father, one final gift from father to son days after John’s 53rd birthday.
“It was just so special that we had the opportunity for closure,” John recalled. “To thank him, to tell him we love him. That it’s OK to go.”
Only one day after Gordon’s passing, some COVID-19 restrictions officially eased, but that wouldn’t be implemented in enough time for a memorial worthy of a life like Gordon’s.
He emigrated from his native Scotland at 14, eventually settling in Philadelphia’s Parkwood neighborhood. He fell in love, married and raised three children, all while working two full-time jobs and giving back to his community. He was one of the Parkwood Youth Organization’s founding fathers, with the organization naming a soccer field in his honor. He was instrumental in the construction of Franklin Mills mall.
Top; Gordon Dunlop Sr. (center) with his sons Gavin (left) and Gordon Jr. (right). Bottom: Gordon Dunlop Sr.’s named field at Parkwood Youth Organization.
But, to those who loved him most, he was “Pop-Pop.” To others, he was “Mr. D.” To all, he was a kind soul who would give you the shirt off his back before inviting you in for a meal and a beer. To his kids — John, Gordon Jr. and Linda — he was Dad, a proud grandfather of eight who was unafraid to be the life of the party.
“We would be at a wedding and he would be up there, playing the saxophone, at 70 years old with the guys in the band,” John remembered. “If you met him, you would feel like you knew him for 20 years.”
Gordon’s stature demanded a memorial reminiscent of Barbara’s, which filled the pews at Macalester-Torresdale Presbyterian. But, pandemic restrictions would prevent this. The formal memorial wouldn’t happen until April 2021, a year after that final FaceTime call. The ashes of Gordon and Barbara were buried together, ensuring the couple would never again be separated.
In the era of social distancing, neighbors, family members and others brought food and drinks and shared condolences through video calls and the windows of John’s and Melissa’s home. One neighbor and his daughter played the banjo on the Dunlops’ front lawn to raise the family’s spirits.
The kindness and love shown reflected the Dunlops beliefs. Help others. Give back. And that’s what John and Melissa sought to do for two people: the nurses who helped a dying man to be with his family one more time. They have yet to meet Jennifer and Meghan, but hope to one day do so, just to say “thank you” for what they did for a man they had never met before.
“It was about humanity,” Melissa said. “It was just about Mr. Dunlop dying a peaceful death, regardless of whether his family was able to be there or not. And (the nurses) thought of all the things really quickly on the fly. And that’s what’s just so incredible about the whole thing.”