Gordon MacKenzie Webb

Gordon Mackenzie Webb, 80, of Ashland, NH left this earth to return to his Heavenly Home, where he was surely welcomed with open arms, on May 26. His immediate family was by his side as he transitioned and, reluctantly, let him go, knowing they would be with him again. This very sad event occurred at Dartmouth Medical Health Center in Lebanon after Gordon had suffered a short period of declining health from auto immune encephalitis. Gordon, or Gordie, to many, was born in Haverhill, MA on June 1, 1942, the third son of Edmond and Margery (Grimes). He is predeceased by his parents and oldest brother, Earl Webb. Gordon graduated from Haverhill High School in 1960, where he excelled in sports, particularly track and field, academics, and even played the lead in his high school senior play, which was one of his best kept secrets. For many years he was a lifeguard at Wallis Sands State Beach in Rye, NH. He went on to attend the University of Massachusetts, where he majored in Physical Education. It was there that he found his passion, lacrosse! There he was coached by the legendary Ted Garber, Sr., who became his mentor and friend. Gordon took that joy of the game and went on to mentor and befriend countless young men in the years to follow as a teacher/coach himself. He was inducted into the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2001, the UMass Boston Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Eastern Massachusetts Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2015. He coached all levels of lacrosse over the years, from youth lacrosse to becoming an assistant coach for the Boston Blazers, Boston's professional Major Indoor Lacrosse League. He taught at Portsmouth High School and coached JV football from 1965-68, then went on to pursue his post graduate degree at the University of Florida, after which he became lacrosse coach as well as wrestling coach at Berwick Academy in ME. He was then offered the position of Men's Lacrosse Head Coach and Professor in the Human Performance and Fitness Department at Boston State College/UMass Boston. There, from 1971-82, he led the fledgling lacrosse team to six Colonial League championships and five runner-up finishes. In his retirement years, the first retirement, he coached at Nashua High School from 1995-99 leading them to a state championship title in 1998. After moving to Plymouth, NH to be nearer the grandchildren, he came out of retirement, once again, to coach Plymouth High School Boy's Lacrosse and then Plymouth State University Lacrosse for ten years until he retired, for the second time, in 2019. While coaching at PSU, he led the Panthers to an 8-8 record while going 6- 2 in Little East Conference play. The Panthers finished second in the final league standings to match the program's best regular season finish, while the six conference wins were the most in program history. He led the team to the championship game of the LEC tournament in 2019, just the second time in program history, while his teams reached at least the semifinal round of the tournament in ten of his 11 seasons. He retired, for the final time, in 2019, leaving the PSU team in the able hands of his friend and former assistant coach, Michael Wilus. He continued to follow every game very closely, streaming the games in Florida and continuing to follow, as best he could, while still at the hospital. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Barbara (Demmett) Webb, whom he met on that beach in Rye one Labor Day long ago. He also leaves behind a daughter, Kathleen Smith, and her husband, Corey, of Campton, NH and a son, Michael Webb, and his wife, Delicia, of Washington, DC as well as extended family, Minh Chau, and his wife Natalia, of Washington, DC and Tina Mansfield of Milford, NH. His grandchildren, of whom he was so very proud are Griffin Smith, Stella Smith, Gordon Webb, Gianna Webb and Amanda Webb. He is survived also by his brother, Richard Webb and his wife, Brenda, of PA as well as six nieces and nephews and their families. A Celebration of Life will be held at Merrill Place at Plymouth State University on July 22, 2023, from 2:00 - 4:00. In lieu of flowers, donation may be made to the Ashland Community Church, PO Box 602, Ashland, NH 03217 or to PSU Lacrosse at https://give.plymouth.edu/mens-lax

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Gordon MacKenzie Webb

June 1, 1942 - May 26, 2023