Tappan posthumously receives Pillar of Society Dedication Award
By Sarah Hall
Editor
Gordon Tappan lived a life of quiet service.
The Baldwinsville native served three years in the 174th Air National Guard. He was a member of the Seneca River Masonic Lodge No. 160. He was a longtime member of the Phoenix First Congregational Church, where he served as deacon, trustee and head usher, and he helped to charter the Phoenix Lions Club, where he served in several officer positions and helped chair the annual Lions Christmas Basket program.
He spent more than 60 years helping families through the grieving process as one of the owners of the Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home. Tappan was the chair of the annual Crop Walk, a member of the Schroeppel Historial Society and a village of Phoenix trustee as well as deputy mayor, as well as countless other volunteer and service positions throughout his life.
Earlier this month, Phoenix recognized that life of service.
The Phoenix Public Library unveiled a plaque in Tappan’s honor on May 9, granting him the Pillar of Society Dedication Award in recognition of his more than 50 years of service to the library. Tappan served on the library’s board of trustees as both a trustee and as president, and he was “instrumental,” according to the library’s Facebook page, in the construction of the library’s current facility on Elm Street.
Tappan passed away on Oct. 28, 2017, after a fall at home. His children, Charles “Chick” Tappan, Saralyn VanAuken and Douglas Tappan attended the ceremony in their father’s honor.
In addition to his children, Gordon Tappan is survived by four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a nephew, two nieces and several grand-nieces, grand-nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his wife of nearly 65 years, Mary Anne (Glanville) Tappan, who passed away on April 27, 2017.
The Tappan family has a long history in Baldwinsville, going all the way back to Col. Gabriel Tappan, Van Buren’s first town supervisor. Col. Tappan’s father-in-law, John McHarrie, was one of the first residents of the area, settling on the south side of the Seneca River.