Royce Baier stands outside of the Paxton home that he shares with his wife, Sheila.
Speculation swirled around the death of Jean Gordon, who bought new the 1941 Packard 160 two-door convertible that Royce Baier now owns.
Her passing shocked the East Coast.
The niece by marriage of World War II Gen. George Patton committed suicide at age 30. Her death occurred a few weeks after Patton’s death in a traffic accident in Europe.
Many, including one of Patton’s daughters and his widow, believed Gordon had been in a romantic relationship with Patton for several years. Some of Patton’s biographers, however, do not believe there was such a relationship.
The Boston-area socialite died Jan. 8, 1946.
Gordon’s body was found in the early morning hours of Jan. 8, 1946, a few days after a confrontation with Patton’s widow, Beatrice. Patton’s pictures were found near her body. She was asphyxiated with four gas jets of the kitchen stove open, spewing natural gas.
Gordon had been a Red Cross volunteer nurse’s aide in several Boston area hospitals and later served near the front lines during World War II Europe, assigned to ARC Clubmobile group L attached to the Third Army headquarters as a “donut girl” who handed out donuts, coffee and cigarettes to military personnel.
The dashboard of Royce Baier’s 1941 Packard. Dave Hinton photos/For the Ford County Chronicle
Writer Nancy J. Morris believes Patton and Gordon’s relationship began in the 1930s when Gordon visited the Patton family in Hawaii, where Patton had been stationed.
Biographer Carlo D’Este — citing the personal papers of Patton’s daughter Ruth Ellen, which were published posthumously — indicated the Patton family believed Gordon and Patton had been in a romantic relationship, which could have begun as early as 1934.
Betty South, captain of the ARC Clubmobile crew to which Gordon was assigned, said Gordon adored Patton, but the relationship was more of a father-daughter one.
The man she truly loved, South asserted, was a young, married captain who refused to continue the relationship with Gordon and returned to his wife.
Gordon’s suicide took place not long after the captain returned to his wife and the death of Patton.