ATLAS TOWNSHIP – Anybody who has lived in the Goodrich or Atlas Township area for any amount of time knows the name Gordon Bachmann.
Bachmann, who died in his sleep Friday, Feb. 7 at age 63, will continue to be a celebrated member of the community.
“He touched countless lives,” said Doug Moors, a good friend and fishing buddy. “If you think just in terms of the builders he met over the years, he knew a lot of people.
“[His death] flattened me,” Moors said. “He sat here, in my office, on Thursday night and talked to me. I hadn’t seen him in a few days, so I was going out to look for him and passed him about four times in the span of a half mile, because he was coming to talk to me, too. It was funny, because we just had to talk to each other.
“Several people have mentioned to me that Gordon had popped in to say goodbye after work on Thursday; it was weird,” Moors said.
“Gordon will really be missed,” said township Clerk Tere Onica. “He was very thoughtful, and people who knew him were always recipients of his generosity in a lot of ways. We are sorry to see him go, but at least he went peacefully.”
For more than 30 years, Bachmann was building inspector for Atlas Township and the village of Goodrich, as well as supervisor of the village’s Department of Public Works. In addition to those long-standing jobs, Bachmann served as the Atlas Township fire chief, local United Way chapter president and a long-time Little League coach.
Bachmann was always a local man. He was born in Flint in 1939 and came to Goodrich in his youth. He was graduated from Goodrich High School with the class of 1958, and married his wife, Sara, in Goodrich in 1967.
By trade, Bachmann was a brick layer, but in reality, he was so much more.
“I knew Gordon for over 30 years,” said Matt Teachenor, Atlas Township’s code enforcement officer. “He was a great guy, and a great boss. I know I’ll miss him. He had a huge heart and can never be replaced.
“Gordon was always doing things in the community for those in need,” Teachenor said, “especially the seniors and widows. He would always make sure their driveways were plowed or that their basements didn’t flood. The community was his life, and there aren’t enough words to say about him.”
“Gordon cared and did more for the village than anyone will ever know,” said Village Manager Jakki Sidge, noting that he would often respond on his own time when called about fallen trees and the like. “Gordon taught me many things over the almost 13 years we worked together; some things about work, others about life.”
“He was such a stubborn, ornery, old man, but no one will ever know,” Moors said. “If you said to Gordon, ‘I heard you did such and such,’ he would smirk and leave it at that. He would never admit to doing all the good he did.”
“Gordon was probably the best building inspector you could ever ask for. He was a devoted worker and a nice man,” said former township supervisor Richard Pifer.
Because he was a building inspector, he had to show a hard side at times, Pifer said, and he admitted the two had some “head-to-head” confrontations. Nonetheless, they developed a good relationship.
“I like him because, once we understood each other, there was no problem,” Pifer said. “He became a very good friend.”
Bachmann is survived by his wife, Sara, four children and 10 grandchildren.
Editor Don Schelske also contributed to this story.