Gordon James VanderBrug, 75, of Mashpee, MA, and Naples, FL, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Friday, November 9, 2018, after a decades-long and heroic battle with a rare form of cancer, Waldenstrom's Disease. Gordon was born on December 23, 1942, in Detroit, MI, to Edward and Jenny VanderBrug. He was one of four children, including Ellen Rottman (deceased), Duane VanderBrug, and Melvin VanderBrug. Gordon attended Grosse Pointe Christian and Grosse Pointe High School and enrolled in Calvin College in fall of l960 to study mathematics. It was there that he met Catherine Nyenhius who, on August 29, 1964, became his proud and loving wife. Gordon and Cathy recently celebrated 54 years of marriage, a partnership where they continually supported each other's growth.

After earning his B.S. in mathematics from Calvin College and his M.S. in mathematics from Wayne State University, Gordon accepted a mathematics instructor position at Calvin College, where he pioneered the introduction of computers in the classroom at his alma mater.  Continually pushing boundaries and edges, he enrolled in the Ph.D. program in computer science at the University of Maryland in 1969.  Intrigued by the fast-paced developments in computer science, his trademark curiosity led him to explore more deeply the developments and applications of this exciting new world into practical application.

An entrepreneur at heart, Gordon engaged in a variety of businesses including machine vision systems, robotics, and software tools.  In 1996 he co-founded iBasis, a wholesale carrier that pioneered the use of the Internet to complete international phone calls. His collaborative leadership helped drive significant breakthroughs, including the development of proprietary technology that enabled iBasis to manage the routing of its real-time voice traffic over the "unmanaged" public Internet. Gordon received significant global recognition for his achievements with iBasis, including being named a VON Pioneer by Pulver.com (1999), Co-Finalist (along with co-founder Ofer Gneezy) for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2001), and Entrepreneur of the Year by the Boston Business Journal (2001). Always a loyal Terrapin, he was honored to r eceive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Maryland and be inducted into the University's Alumni Hall of Fame.

His passion for education continued, especially education rooted in the historic Christian faith. Gordon poured his heart into service on the boards of Washington Christian School (Washington, DC) and Lexington Christian Academy (MA), including a decade as chairman.

In 2007, after many years on the board of the Richard D. Van Lunen Foundation, Gordon saw a deep need for executive education for heads of Christian schools. He founded The Van Lunen Center for Executive Management in Schools, taking immense joy in the Center's impact on hundreds of heads of schools and thousands of teachers and students at faith-based schools in the U.S. and abroad.

A n enduring memory for all who knew and loved Gordon are the many conversations, where family and guests felt comfortable and safe to talk, listen, think, and challenge one another with issues of the day, great and small, often accompanied by laughter, good wine, and some perfectly grilled salmon.

An enthusiastic athlete, Gordon enjoyed a lifelong pursuit of sports, everything from stick ball, baseball, racquet ball, tennis, golf, and he always had his kadima paddles at the beach. He loved any athletic event or just pure play time with his siblings, children, and grandchildren. Gordon was an ardent New England Sports fan and loved the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots.  He treasured time with family, including sailing and skiing. Gordon and Cathy loved welcoming family and friends to their homes on Cape Cod and Naples, FL, in recent years, and before that in Lexington, MA.

Gordon is survived by his brothers Duane VanderBrug and Melvin VanderBrug, wife, Catherine VanderBrug, children Jacquelyn VanderBrug (Bradford Johnson) of Somerville, MA; Michael VanderBrug (Abby VanderBrug) of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Renee Lewis (Tyler Lewis) of Sherbrooke, QC; and grandchildren Zoe, Pieter, Schuyler, Anika, Benjamin, Finnegan, and Hadley.

Visiting hours will be held at the Douglass Funeral Home, Lexington, MA, on Thursday, November 15, from 5:00-7:00 pm.  A Memorial Service will be Friday, November 16, at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity Church, Boston, MA, with a reception to follow in the church undercroft.  In lieu of flowers, memorials in Gordon's name may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Bing Center for Waldenstrom's Research M546, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215, or to the Richard D. Van Lunen Foundation, Raybrooke Office Suite 201, Calvin College, 3201 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546.