Gordon Harold Dunn, 90, passed away peacefully on October 18, 2022, at his daughter and son-in-law's Pleasant Grove residence. He was born October 11, 1932, in Montpelier, Bear Lake County, Idaho to Jesse Harold and Winifred Roma (Williams) Dunn. His father died when he was about 7 months old; by the time he was 10, his mother also died, leaving him an orphan, raised by elderly grandparents.
Gordon (or Harold, as he was known in Montpelier) graduated from Montpelier High School at age 16, a year ahead of his peers, where he served as student body president his senior year. Finding odd jobs to support himself, he graduated in 1954 from the University of Washington in Seattle with a bachelor's degree in physics. During this period, he married a Montpelier sweetheart, Donnetta Dayton, on September 25, 1952, in the Salt Lake Temple. Because of his youthful age and the existing law, Donetta had to temporarily become Gordon's guardian to obtain their marriage license. Their union lasted 63 years before the death of Donetta in 2016.
The next seven years were a time of arduous financial struggle, but with the help of various graduate fellowships he obtained his PhD in atomic physics, also from the University of Washington, in 1961. They had 5 sons by this time and moved across the country to Washington D.C. where Gordon had a postdoctoral fellowship with the National Bureau of Standards. One year later, he moved his family (add one daughter) to Boulder, Colorado as one of the founding scientists of a new entity at the University of Colorado--the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA).
His family was always his number one priority. He and Donetta raised seven boys and that one daughter. His two other loves in life were his faith and his science. Gordon was one of those rare people with the ability to be open to truth wherever it could be found. He thought it special to be a fifth-generation member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and devoted many hours to service as scoutmaster, bishop, ward mission leader, high councilor, stake young men's president, elder's quorum president, and high priest group leader among other callings. Following his retirement, he and Donetta served two full time missions for the church. He was also active in the Boulder community as president of the PTA and of the area Little League. He also had a love for his chosen career as a quantum/atomic/molecular physicist. He devoted 40 years of research at JILA leading to the publication of over 170 papers in scientific journals and one book. He took on leadership roles and became a professor on the University of Colorado campus supervising 11 PhD students whom he considered like 11 additional sons to him. He was an officer in several national and international professional societies, a member of the physics hall of fame, manager of JILA's large group of scientists, three of whom received the Nobel prize in physics. He also won several prizes and awards for his own work. Gordon took a sabbatical leave from 1975 to 1976 to Washington D.C. where he was a consultant to the Science and Technology Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. He spent 1996 to 1997 in Stockholm, Sweden as a visiting professor at Stockholm University, a guest of the Swedish National Academy of Sciences.
Gordon retired in 2002. He observed as a scientist of faith, "I miss playing in my sandbox, otherwise known as my laboratory. Actually, I now consider my laboratories more like temples than sandboxes, as new knowledge is discovered in both venues." Gordon was predeceased by his wife Donetta and a daughter-in-law Silvia. He is survived by his 7 sons: Jesse L. (Renée) of Minot, ND; Randall (Stephanie) of Parker, CO; Michael (Patty) of Reno, NV; Brian (Sharon) of South Jordan, UT; David (Cheri) of Whittier, CA; Harold (Jenny) of Berthoud, CO; Richard of Westmont, NJ; and his daughter, Susan Smith (Dennis) of Pleasant Grove, UT. He leaves behind 27 grandchildren, 42 great grandchildren and 7 great-great grandchildren. A viewing will be held Tuesday, October 25, 2022, from 9:30 AM to 10 45 AM (MDT) in the Orem 1st Ward building, 80 S 280 E, Orem, Utah, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM. The burial will take place on Wednesday, October 26, 11:00 AM, at the Montpelier Cemetery, Montpelier, Idaho.