June 7, 1937 – May 5, 2026
SERVICE DETAILS
Star of David Chapel Date: May 11, 2026 Time: 2:00 PM
CEMETERY DETAILS
Beth Moses Jewish Cemetery: 1500 Wellwood Ave, West Babylon, NY 11704
SERVICE RECORDING
VIEW RECORDING: Click Here
SHIVA DETAILS
Shiva at the home of Ken’s daughter Felicia, 60 E 9th St Apt 504 in Manhattan. Starting May 11 Monday 6-9pm; Tuesday-Thurs 5-9pm; Friday and Sunday 10am-2pm.
Daily Kaddish will be said at Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, New York.
DONATION INFORMATION
Donations in Ken’s name may be made to the American Lung Association and the American Association for Respiratory Care.
RESOURCES
OBITUARY
Kenneth Philip Gordon, a devoted father, partner, athlete, educator, and leader in respiratory care and health care administration, passed away in West Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. He leaves a legacy defined by compassion, intellect, and a lifelong commitment to helping others breathe easier.
Born Philip Kenneth Gentile in Bronx, NY in 1937 to parents Florence Gottlieb and Alphonse (Alfonzo) Gentile, Ken lived with a deep sense of purpose, a competitive athletic spirit and a lifelong commitment to learning.
From playing sandlot baseball in the Bronx during his teenage years, to the U.S. Air Force from 1955-1958 stationed in Homestead, Florida, to a turn in minor league professional baseball, Ken was early on an athlete, and a veteran who went on to dedicate his life to the field of health care. Ken was a pioneer in respiratory therapy and served in numerous leadership roles during his outstanding career, including Hospital Assistant Administrator, Respiratory Therapy Technical Director, Program Chairman, Clinical Director, and Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in both New York and Florida. His work was marked by integrity, innovation, and a rare ability to guide institutions through both growth and crisis.
As Administrator of several skilled nursing facilities, including Queens Boulevard Extended Care and Medford Multicare Center, where Ken was known for his steady leadership and his ability to restore stability in challenging circumstances. Earlier in his career, as Clinical Director of Respiratory Care at Community Hospital in Brooklyn, he modernized respiratory care practices, developed ventilator protocols, oversaw blood gas laboratory operations, and introduced non-invasive ventilation procedures. His entrepreneurial spirit later led him to found Liberty Respiratory Care, and a groundbreaking home-ventilator program that allowed medically fragile patients—from infants to adults—to remain safely at home with the support they needed.
At Keiser University, he developed and directed the Respiratory Therapy Associate Degree Program, securing clinical partnerships across South Florida and achieving national provisional accreditation. His influence as an educator extended far beyond the classroom. Ken trained nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists, always with patience and a genuine desire to elevate the profession and those who committed themselves to it.
Ken’s dedication and leadership extended beyond the workplace. He served as President of the New York State Society for Respiratory Therapy, an Oral Registry Examiner for the National Board for Respiratory Therapy, a Board Member of the American Lung Association (Nassau/Suffolk Chapter), and was a proud 3rd Degree Mason. He also worked for the Veterans Administration Hospital and, following his retirement, remained in service as a Florida Long Term Care Ombudsperson.
His drive and determination continued to evidence itself when at age 80, after overcoming non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Ken was awarded a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Keiser University. This added to his academic credentials which included a Master of Professional
Studies in Health Care Administration from Long Island University, and a Bachelor of Science in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Respiratory Therapy from SUNY Stony Brook.
Ken loved competitive sports. In addition to his baseball career, Ken was fond of many sports and played golf, tennis, pickleball, water volleyball, fishing, and ping pong. He was also an avid boater of sailboats, houseboats and speedboats and loved being on the water.
Above all his professional and personal accomplishments, Ken was most proud of his children, four of whom – his daughter Felicia, and his sons David, Adam and Michael – survive him. He is also survived by his first wife, Dorine, his second wife, Nancy, and his partner Marcia. Ken was predeceased by his parents, his beloved son, Daniel, and his younger brother, Gerald.
Ken’s legacy is one of service, leadership, and love. He will be remembered for his sharp mind, his generous heart, his athleticism, his unwavering dedication to patient care, his family and friends, the many pets in his life that adored him, and the countless lives he improved through his work and mentorship.
May his memory be forever a blessing.
While Ken was married to my sister Nancy, he and I developed a nice friendship, Ken was definitely the athlete; I was pretty good at golf and bowling, but Ken was always just a little better and he had no problem letting me know it. 🙂 He was hard to keep up with, let alone beat him. One July 4th, probably in the 1980’s, we each had a day off and decided to meet and play golf at Dyker Beach Golf Course. The forecast called for rain; but hey, we wanted to play and a little rain wasn’t going to stop us.
Well that’s how it started off; just a little rain. But the longer we played, the more rain we saw. It never let up; it only got worse, and soon we had on our rain suits on. My hands were soaked but the natural oils in my hands were replaced with water logged hands and I could actually swing the club without it slipping away. It was over 90 degrees that day so we were never cold. My body was protected from the rain by my rain suit but my feet and hair were saturated with water.
By the 17th hole, everybody seemed to have left the course… except for us. In fact, our electric cart got stuck and we had to finish the 18th hole walking in water on the course which was completely drenched with large puddles everywhere. Well we made it… we finished 18 holes and I’m pretty sure he beat me, but the score was close. THAT’S not quite the end of the story.
Afterwards, we went into a freezing air conditioned diner for lunch. Ken got a bad virus the next day from his older wet body not being able to adapt well to the cold diner. I was fine. I think that was the only thing that worked out better for me that day than for Ken. Now when I think back on it; I realize that Ken being older than me by 13 years had a lot more to fight through that day than I did. Though the elements ended up hurting him and not me, it showed me how competitive and committed Ken was when he did something. The old man showed a lot of fight, and that’s how Ken lived his life. He played hard and he played to win.