Maria I. Gordon, beloved wife and mother, passed away on Sunday, January 15, 2017 in the loving care of her caregivers, her eldest daughter Lisa and her son-in-law Ken. Mom was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) in 2010. PSP is a rare neurodegenerative disease that has no known cause, treatment, or cure. It affects nerve cells that control walking, balance, mobility, vision, speech, and swallowing. Mom met each of these challenges with determination and grace, always finding a way to compensate for each loss and never giving up. She was the strongest person who we will ever know.

Maria was born on December 25, 1947 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, the daughter of Norberto Vega and Emilia Vazquez. After moving to New York, she met her future husband William J. Gordon Sr. and, on December 17, 1966, they were wed at St. Cecelia's Church in New York City. They started their family in Bronx, New York and then moved to Fishkill, New York in 1976 where they proudly raised their three children and Maria had a long career in retail. Maria and Bill were married for 39 years at the time of his passing in 2006.

She is survived by her three children: daughters Lisa Marie (Ken) Gordon and Rebecca Lee Gordon and son, William J. Gordon Jr. Also surviving are her sisters Milagros Vega, Dolores Gonzalez, and Maggie Vega and her brothers Norberto Vega and Robert Vega.

In addition to her husband Bill, she was predeceased by her brother Ruben Vega.

Services and internment were private at Fishkill Rural Cemetery.

Lisa and Ken are grateful for the support that they received from CurePSP ( psp.org ) and hope that their research will find treatments and a cure