Alta V. Gardiner

Alta V. Gardiner passed away at her home on March 2nd 2015. She is predeceased by her beloved husband Richard Gardiner in 1976, her son Richard John Gardiner in 1981 and her sister Rita Appelt in 2014. She is survived by her 3 daughters, Lois Zilinski (Peter), Lisa Lincoln, Edith Spiering Snyder (Howard), her brother George Snyder, her 2 grandchildren Lisa Green (Adam), Nicholas Spiering, her 2 great-grandchildren, Kali Rose Palacino and Max Cole Green. She was born on 9/3/1931 to Edith Snyder in Staten Island, NY. She was the eldest of three children. She and her 2 siblings, Rita and George, were brought up by her mom and her grandmother. During her teens, she enjoyed riding horses, music and learning the French language. She even had a French pen pal. By the time she was in high school, she fell deeply in love with her husband to be, Richard Gardiner. She worked for a time in his parent’s deli and became very close with his mother, Lois. She and Richard were married on July 8, 1951. They suffered the loss of his mother in 1952. She was grieving deeply and searching for a hope for the future. Two witnesses knocked on her door and gave her that hope. So she began intensive study of the bible with the witnesses. She was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses at WBBR on Staten Island. She even had the great privilege of attending the International Convention at Yankee Stadium in 1958. She raised her four children as witnesses by example, word and deed. She continued this in Staten Island until her husband passed away suddenly and she subsequently moved to Florida in 1979. During her lifetime serving Jehovah she helped many learn the bible while working full time in an award-winning career as a pre-planner and grief counselor for Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Homes. Many of those students were baptized as Witnesses themselves and she realized that the joy she received from this and the work she was doing in the ministry was the best way to use her time. So eventually she became a full time pioneer in her local congregation. She was able to attend conventions in both Prague and Zurich.