Obituaries

William 'Bill' GordonPharmacist

William "Bill" Gordon, 80, a retired pharmacist who had worked at three Washington area hospitals and Dart Drug stores, died April 9 at Holy Cross Hospital after a heart attack. He lived in Chevy Chase.

Mr. Gordon had a pharmacy in Portsmouth, Va., before moving to the Washington area in the mid-1960s to enroll in a master's program in mathematics at the University of Maryland. Around that time, he joined the Dart Drug chain, helping each store establish its pharmaceutical operation.

After a couple of years with Dart Drug, Mr. Gordon became a hospital pharmacist. He worked on the medical staffs of St. Elizabeths Hospital, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Suburban Hospital, from which he retired in 2004 after about 10 years.

As a volunteer, he tutored high school and college students in math. Through Jewish social services, he taught English to recent Russian immigrants.

He played on Montgomery County senior softball and volleyball teams; learned how to ride a motorcycle in his 70s; studied Russian and Spanish; and enjoyed painting, writing poetry and playing bridge.

Mr. Gordon, a native of Philadelphia, was an Army Air Forces veteran of World War II and a graduate of Temple University.

Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Bernice Steinberg Gordon of Chevy Chase; two daughters, Cheryl Turner of Olney and Barbara Gordon of Los Angeles; a brother; and two grandchildren.

Mary E. CroomGovernment Clerk

Mary E. Croom, 80, a retired clerk with the Government Printing Office, died of a stroke April 5 at Georgetown University Hospital.

Mrs. Crown, a Fort Washington resident, was a native of Sumter, S.C. She came to the Washington area in 1944 and spent about 20 years as a federal worker.

She worked for the Transportation Department; the Bureau of Engraving and Printing; and the Government Printing Office, from which she retired in the late 1980s.

Survivors include three children, Bernetta Croom and Marie Lender, both of Washington, and Rickey Griffin of Temple Hills; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

James H. McCormackAccountant

James H. McCormack, 80, an accountant who retired in the early 1980s after about 20 years with the Central Intelligence Agency, died of prostate cancer April 5 at his home in Woodbridge.