Obituary of Frederick Marvin Gaylord

Frederick M. Gaylord passed away peacefully at his home in Milwaukie, OR on October 13, 2023 surrounded by his family. He was 84 years old.

Fred was born on October 10, 1939 in Lander Wyoming to parents Ora and Ruth Gaylord. Within a few years the family moved to Eagle Creek, Oregon where Fred attended Eagle Creek Elementary and graduated from Estacada High School in 1957. After high school Fred was first introduced to land surveying while working for the US Forest Service on the upper Clackamas River. He was briefly enlisted in the Army Reserves and attended Oregon Technical Institute (now Oregon Tech) where he earned a degree in Highway Engineering.

Fred married Sandra Dragon on June 11, 1966 in Sunnyvale, California. They welcomed son Patrick in the spring of 1969. The family enjoyed spending time on the Oregon Coast while pursuing hunting, fishing, scuba diving, photography, golf and many other outdoor activities. Fred was a dog lover who loved to treat the dogs to his before…during…and after dinner “tidbits”. All of the dogs loved him for that! Fred Volunteered as a Scout Leader during son Pat’s scouting career. He was very proud that his son, and both grandsons achieved Eagle Scout rank. For approximately 25 years he enjoyed volunteering at the Oregon High School Wrestling Tournament and loved watching the sport.

His surveying career included the US Forest Service, US Geological Survey, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Washington County Survey Office, Dick Morris Surveying and for a very short time, the City of West Linn. Through his time with the Geological Survey and BPA, he traveled much of the west and he loved road trips. Many of those road trips included “Fred-cuts” between destinations which may not have been the shortest, but were often the most scenic and sometimes treacherous! Throughout their marriage, Fred and Sandy took many road trips which included most of the western states, Canada, and as far north as the arctic circle.

Using their tax return proceeds, Fred and Sandy opened Gaylord Land Surveying in 1970. In the ensuing 38 years, Fred surveyed much of Clackamas County and throughout northwest Oregon. Fred was known as a true professional in the surveying community. One surveyor recently said his body of work in Clackamas County is part of a small number of surveyors recognized as the “gold standard” of boundary surveying and platting in the county. He was always proud of the quality and honesty with which they ran the family surveying business, so this recognition is an affirmation of what he pursued.

Fred was a member of the Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO) for over 50 years and valued the relationships, support and education that PLSO provided. He served on the state board at least twice as well as serving on several committees through the years. For his contributions to the organization, he was awarded Life Membership by PLSO.

Fred is survived by his wife of 57 years Sandra Gaylord, brother Roy, sister-in-Law Jan, sister Barb, son Patrick, daughter-in-Law Ann, grandson’s Mitchell and Steven, granddaughters-in-law Sarah and Stephanie, and multiple nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Raymond.

Fred loved everything about the outdoors and loved the rain and beauty of Oregon. In his last few weeks, he was able to look out the window, take in the changing fall colors and listen to the start of the fall rains. Fall was his favorite time of year.

The family will hold a memorial in the near future.