BJ (Polack) Gardner

BJ Gardner, known as Mom BJ or GG (Grandma Gardner), quietly left this earth on Friday, October 4, 2024, surrounded by those she loved. Her life was filled with love, faith, and devotion to her family: her children, grandchildren, and all her adopted AGR family. She will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege to know her.

BJ’s life was marked by acts of service to others; she was always taking care of everyone around her, making them feel loved, valued, and fed! From her special brownies, famous chocolate chip and butterscotch cookies, and fruit pizza to her overflowing bowls of candy, no one ever left Mom BJ’s kitchen hungry or empty handed. She made a career of being a mom, not only to her own children, but also in serving as the house mom for Michigan State University’s Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity for over 30 years. The table in her kitchen was never empty; she welcomed everyone. It was a well-known fact that she couldn’t cook a meal for less than 50 people - even if only 5 were coming for dinner.

When she wasn’t cooking, BJ was sewing or quilting, or buying fabric in bulk for all the special projects she took on for anyone who asked. Curtains for your new home, custom quilt for your first dorm room, fixing holes in your jeans or sewing 100 buttons on a t-shirt for your 100th day of school - BJ made them all. Her most loved projects were making unique creations for her grandkids that perfectly wove together their personalities and her love for each of them. They will forever cherish the memories of cousin sleepovers at GG’s house.

Some of BJ’s favorite days were cookouts at the pool with her family all around. She loved the beach and swimming, but most of all, she loved the chaos and happy noise of her big family all together.

BJ was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years Larry Gardner and her parents Jack and Florence Polack. She is survived by her children Jennifer (James) Brewer, Jerrud (Allyson) Parker, Murphy (Sarah) Gardner, Martin (Kristina) Gardner, Patrick Gardner, and Loree (Lanny) Sisson; her twelve grandchildren; and hundreds of her AGR boys.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for BJ on Friday, October 11, 2024 at 11:00 AM, with a one-hour prior visitation from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, at St. Martha Parish, 1100 W Grand River Ave., Okemos, MI 48864.

To honor BJ’s memory, donations may be made to Michigan AgrAbility, an organization dedicated to supporting Michigan farmers, https://www.michiganagrability.org/donate