Gilbert Cordova

Our grandpa passed away peacefully on Friday, August 4, 2023. He was surrounded by our parents and the three of us–Andreas, Ellie, and Sophia. As he would say “the whole crew is here” and that we were. Gilbert was born on November 24, 1937, at St. Mark’s Hospital. He was the proud son of Phil and Tillie Cordova, raised in Bingham and Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the quintessential big brother to his sisters–Kathy, Yolanda, Patricia, and Elizabeth. He was a coach, teacher, friend, brother, surrogate father, and surrogate grandpa to many. He took pride in having a positive impact on all of those with whom he interacted. We know his greatest legacy was with us and our parents, which is saying a lot considering the lasting and far-reaching influence he had with so many as a coach and teacher. 

Our grandpa was incredibly proud of his sons. He showed our dads (Anthony and James) what a great father looked like. He was proud of Anthony’s love of all sports and his frugality. He was proud to see James go on to coach, teach, and influence so many high schoolers like he once did. Gibby, as we lovingly called him, was the most devoted to us. The four of us shared a friendship that will forever live on. He was our pickup from elementary school and our after schoolteacher. He was the one who was sitting in our kitchens reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee while getting ready to throw the ball for our dogs. He was the one in the stands cheering “the crew” on in all our events. He was known for his thoughtful and motivational halftime speeches for the teams he coached, and the various sports teams in which we each participated. He was often seen bringing our moms flowers from his yard and wanting to talk politics with them. He frequently shared new vocabulary words or new scientific advancements with us to study. 

Grandpa was lucky in living many lives. He was a true adventurer at heart and lifelong learner, which led him to explore the world. He left his footprints from the deserts of the Middle East to the jungles of Mesoamerica, across the US and Europe, and deeply into Utah, the state he called home. He instilled in us and in our parents a desire to travel the world and to be lifelong learners. His passion for traveling was equaled by his passion for learning. He started the Cordova legacy at Judge where he found community, love, and lifelong friendships. Gil graduated from Judge in 1956, a scholar and star multisport athlete.

He then went on to Westminster College earning a degree in Art History and helped lead their football team to a championship. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Sports Psychology at the University of Utah and was a Fullbright Scholar. He proudly served in and played football while in the Army at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and in Germany. He went on to become a high school football coach and teacher building the character of young men and women. He challenged them to reconsider their own potential. He was also a proud and early advocate of women in sports and Title IX.  He took great pride in coaching. For our grandpa, coaching was a true art form. He brought deep knowledge of sports psychology and the power of being together to the field. Ultimately, he could connect to the hearts of his players.

He was gifted in storytelling and managed to intrigue any audience (especially all the little kids he greeted as “Fritz”) with his myths and retellings of travels. We all agree that some of our fondest memories of our Grandpa included storytelling, especially his never ending renderings of Greek Mythology. He was a strong believer in developing an expansive vocabulary and instilled that upon us. Just take a look at these next two sentences. Gil was “indubitably” the most extraordinary father and grandfather anyone could ever ask for. We will live our lives fully with “tenacity” while keeping it “copacetic” just like he taught us.

He leaves his sons Anthony (Carrie), James (Cori), and the three luckiest grandkids, Andreas, Ellie and Sophia (Parker), with a lifetime of memories and adventures. He leaves his sisters and their families as well as the many dear friends, players, students, and Sugarhouse Park walkers, with a long list of stories. We will miss our go-to poetry reader, our coach, our world historian, our greatest Greek mythologist, our 3rd parent, music enthusiast, best storyteller, collector of all memorabilia, our favorite phone caller, favorite travel companion and life-long fan. 

Please join us in celebrating our Grandpa Gil’s spectacular life on August 12th, 2023, 5pm-8pm at Starks Funeral Parlor (3651 S 900 E Salt Lake City, UT  84106). We encourage you to carpool or drop off as there will be limited parking. In lieu of flowers we ask that you donate to the Judge Memorial Gil Cordova Memorial Fund.