ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Paul and Leslie Bodnarchuk are in disbelief and heartbroken over the tragic death of their friend and neighbor, Ray Gordon.
“I was shocked,” Leslie Bodnarchuk said.
Her husband, Paul, was also devastated.
“I got choked up pretty quickly right away, just not believing that,” Paul said. “[I] was looking forward to seeing him again and talking to him. It was sad, very sad.”
The couple said they bonded over their love for dogs.
“We got to be dog friends,” Paul said. “I’d walk and then he’d walk his and we’d see each other. The dogs, of course, are curious, so we started sharing stories about dogs and whatnot.”
Gordon was killed during Tuesday’s fast-moving, powerful storm.
Ross Township Police said the 67-year-old was walking back into his house from his back deck when a huge tree towering over the roof snapped and fell on top of him.
“I heard sirens and things, and I thought it was just a downed wire or something,” Leslie said.
The couple nearly escaped their own tragedy when the intense winds blew their decades-old spruce on top of their home.
“I heard a noise, and the front door puffed open,” Leslie said. “I heard the big crash.”
Two hours later, Paul said he was yards away when the cherry tree in the back also came crashing down on their roof.
“All of a sudden, I just start hearing crack, crack, crack, and it’s like, ‘What’s happening?’ I was howling, ‘No. No. No,’” he said.
The couple is counting their blessings as they grieve Gordon’s loss.
“He was just really friendly,” Paul said.
Leslie agreed.
“Yeah, just really easy going, easy to talk to. Just a nice guy,” she said.
The couple said police were able to get Gordon’s dog Tuesday night and believe a friend has his cat.
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