Bari Merle Gordon Obituary (1943 - 2020)

Bari Gordon, 77, of Plymouth, Minnesota died peacefully at home surrounded by her family. Bari was the daughter of Sidney Chodrof (killed in WWII) and Adeline Wexler (nee Berger). Bari was adopted by Joe Wexler following his marriage to Adeline. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband's parents, Hye Gordon and Min Gordon (nee Rockler); and sister, Maxine Wayne. She is survived by her husband, best friend in the world, and devoted caretaker Av Gordon; their daughters, Abbe (Ralph) Bernstein and Juli (David) Olson; brother, Thomas (Ardis) Wexler; sister, Joanne (Elliot) Harris; grandchildren, Sydney Payton, Eli Payton, Addie Olson and Quinn Olson; sister-in-law, Betty Sue (David) Lipschultz; and many loving nieces and nephews. Bari was the light of our lives. She always said she would make Av “the happiest kid on the block.” And she did! They celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary this past July 4th. Bari and Av loved to travel together, watch Vikings games on TV, and eat their way through the Minneapolis Farmers Market and the Minnesota State Fair. Bari thrived on being surrounded by her family and sharing time with loved ones and friends, many of whom she had known since childhood in Southwest Minneapolis. Bari was an amazing mother, mother-in-law, and Munnie (grandmother). She made sure each of her treasured ones knew just how great and special they were to her. Bari loved to anticipate and celebrate every holiday, family milestone, and birthday to the max! She created many unique, rich traditions that will keep her energy and spirit alive. Bari was incredibly artistic. She never met a hobby store she didn’t love. She loved to cook and bake and, impressively, turned her hobby of cake decorating and candy-making into a business. For a number of years she operated Adbari’s, a friendly and ahead-of-its-time shop in Golden Valley, with her business partner and mother, Adeline. Bari was a great question asker and listener. She was incredibly empathetic and always a champion for the underdog. Speaking of dogs, Bari and Av, along with their entire family, were fans of every canine companion they ever met -- including their two beloved Westies -- Lola and Jill. Bari battled depression for more than a quarter century. In recent years she was plagued by physical health issues and entered hospice with congestive heart failure on October 6th, which was her last birthday. Our family is deeply indebted to her caring physicians, Barry Rittberg and Gretchen Rasmusson, who never gave up on her, and caregiver Lacey Lundstrom and her team. We will deeply miss Bari’s smile, humor, and the warmth that she brought to every encounter and event. Zoom funeral service 2:00pm on WEDNESDAY, October 28, 2020. Email zoom2@hodroffepstein.com for link. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made to STEP—St. Louis Park Emergency Program, 6812 W. Lake St., St. Louis Park, MN 55426.