DOWAGIAC — Friends and family gathered this weekend to celebrate the life of Dowagiac native son Dr. Billi Gordon, who became a celebrity neuroscientist after many years in the entertainment world.

Gordon, a 1972 DUHS graduate who was president of the school’s student council and a member of the band and Varsity Club, died Feb. 22, in Los Angeles, where he had lived since the late 1970s. He was 63.

To honor Gordon, who played the saxophone in the marching band, organizers have created a memorial fund to pay for band instruments for students who can’t afford their own.

“We wanted to do something for Billi that would honor his work, his life and the love he had for so many people,” said Lynn Havel, an area resident who met Gordon in college and was one of the event’s planners. “No matter where he went, and he went many places, he always was a big

cheerleader for Dowagiac. He never forgot where he came from.”

Events for “Billi’s Homecoming” weekend included a gathering Friday night from 5 to 8 p.m. at Clark Chapel, 405 Center St. and an 11 a.m. Saturday funeral mass at Holy Maternity of Mary Catholic Church, where Gordon worshipped in his teen years. A cake-and-coffee reception at the church followed the funeral.

“The focus is going to be on all the wonderful memories people have of Billi,” said Scott Winchester, a Dowagiac native and close friend of Gordon who helped put together the memorial. “He was one of a kind and loved his hometown and the people he grew up with.”

Gordon was born Sept. 2, 1954, and attended Patrick Hamilton Elementary School, not far from his family home on Tuthill Street. He was the son of Wilbert and Geneva Gordon. He attended Crosier Seminary in Minnesota upon graduation from high school and his religion was an important part of life. He later transferred to and graduated from the University of Michigan, where he was part of the cheerleading squad, and continued to be an ardent and vocal Wolverine fan for life.

After attaining his undergraduate degree, Gordon earned a PhD in Integrative Behavioral Neuroscience at the Union Institute and University. He later pursued a post-doctoral and research career in neuroscience at UCLA where he studied emotion, the pathophysiology of race and minority health disparities, as well as a variety of work in gastroenterology and obesity – all issues that impacted him personally, and for which he felt a sense of duty to help others.

In his early years in college, Gordon showed an interest in the entertainment world, initially working as a stand-up comedian in and around Ann Arbor and Detroit.

He was known for his special combination of in-your-face humor and flamboyant public demeanor, but also for a generosity of spirit and kindness that allowed him to reach a large audience in promoting his passion for social justice and personal acceptance, friends said.

After moving to Los Angeles, he became a greeting card model – reaching the top of that profession before moving on to acting and writing for television and the movies.

He appeared on the popular TV series “Married with Children” and opposite Eddie Murphy in “Coming to America.” As a writer, he wrote sitcom episodes and multiple humor books such as the cookbook, “You’ve Had Worse Things in Your Mouth.”

As a writer, Gordon authored the immensely popular “Obesely Speaking” column that appeared regularly in Psychology Today; his blogs were featured in the Huffington Post and the LA Times.

In this work, he touched on interpersonal issues, health, stereotyping, and prejudice with compassion and a near boundless self-effacing humor. He was profiled in the LA Times in 2009 (“A Body Larger Than Life”) as a 700-pound patient (down from nearly 1,000 pounds) who was too large for hospital machines to handle as he prepared for surgery to remove a large mass on his thigh.

Gordon leveraged his Ph.D. and scientific contributions into his success in blogging and his writing on health issues. He was beloved by his enormous circle of friends on whom he lavished his personal generosity, humor and intelligence

Gordon was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Doris (Ewells) Hollingsworth; and a brother, James (Lois) McGinnis. He is survived by his partner of 30 years, Robert Schallert of Los Angeles; his nieces Cynthia Hollingsworth and Diane Torrence; and nephews Don (Sandra)

Hollingsworth, Kenneth (Dianne) Hollingsworth, Brian Hollingsworth and James McGinnis Jr; two brothers-in-law, John Schallert ll and Patrick Schallert; a special cousin, Gwen Reeves; and many nieces and nephews.

The Los Angeles Times and Associated Press contributed to this report.