Garth Gardner

Garth Edwin Gardner

On the afternoon of January 20th of 2022, Garth Edwin Gardner passed away peacefully at St. Mary’s Hospital. He is survived by his wife of almost 55 years Carla (Phillips) Gardner, his two children Lori Gardner of Grand Junction and Shaun (Shannon) Gardner of Boulder, Montana, his sister Edie (Gary) Holland of Grand Junction, his granddaughter Ashley (Taran) Pennington of Grand Junction, and many nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.

Garth Edwin Gardner was born February 17, 1945, to Carl Edwin Gardner and Alice Annette (Wild) Gardner.  The family lived in Montrose County in the Menoken community.  Garth attended the Menoken school for first and second grades.  He was raised alongside his cousins (the Franklin family) – Ruthmary, Floyd, Eddie, and then his little sister Edith.  Both families were active in the Montrose Christian Church.  The two families farmed together for a few years, but things didn’t go well and the Gardners moved back to the Clifton area – the original Pear Park.  Garth attended the Pear Park school for third grade, but missed a lot of school that year due to rheumatic fever.  The family was active in Clifton Christian Church. Garth’s dad changed jobs again and the family moved to a small pear orchard near Palisade.  Garth got a fresh start in third grade at Palisade Elementary.  It was there he met a neighbor, Bob Madden, who was his life-long friend.  After a couple of years, the family transferred their church membership to Palisade Christian Church. Back then the church to attend was Palisade Christian Church.  They had a great summer camp program with several other Christian Churches.  That’s when Garth met the love of his life, Carla Phillips.  The Phillips family moved to Palisade in 1962 from DeBeque.  Garth graduated from Palisade High School in 1964.  Garth and Carla were married on August 4, 1967.  Garth was deployed to Vietnam three weeks later where he served honorably and earned a Purple Heart Medal. Garth and Carla moved to Denver where they raised their two children, Shaun and Lori. Garth was a hard worker, working for the Rio Grande Railroad and later the U.S Postal Service.  They were members of Arvada Christian Church in Arvada, Co; Northglenn Christian Church in Northglenn, Co; Rocky Mountain Christian Church of Niwot, Co; Christian Church of Broomfield in Broomfield, Co and currently Clifton Christian Church in Clifton, Co.   Post-retirement Garth enjoyed Alaskan cruises with his wife and family.  Garth and Carla also traveled to Israel on a Prayer Journey in 2020.   In 2015, Garth and Carla moved back to the Grand Valley and took in their granddaughter, Ashley. Garth was truly loved by all who knew him.  Garth’s hobbies included camping, hunting and fishing along with family outings and picnics.  Garth was preceded in death by his parents.  In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Clifton Christian Church, 3241 F ¼ Road, Clifton, Co 81520.