Donald Gardner

Pete was born in 1930 in Denver, Colorado to Donald and Josephine Casey Gardner. He was married to Frances Hodapp in 1951 and they got busy and produced eight children over a span of 22 years. "Frankie" passed away in 1998. The eight kids (David, Katey, Molly, Jill, Tom, Scott, Amy and Tracy) are all still around, all live locally, and have themselves managed to successfully expand the world population by creating fifteen more. Pete and Frankie will be greatly missed from every one of these lives.

Pete went to South High School in Denver and also did a stint at Glendale High in California. He went to college at the University of Denver, got married shortly after that, and began his life-long career in the fence business, most of those years with the Elcar Fence Company. He also got started raising a rather sizeable family, which kept him at work while Mom stayed at home with the kids. His favorite activity was playing golf, which he loved doing and was pretty good at. Many of his good friends were met and those friendships maintained during the pursuit of this activity. He was a member of Pinehurst Country Club in Denver for more than 40 years. He also liked to play bridge, listen to classical music, read good books, and play more golf. He was an accomplished and wonderful piano player, which he had studied since he was young, and his career came close to taking a turn in that direction when he was a teenager. The old piano is still in the basement of the house Dad bought in 1955 and lived in until Sunday. It is quiet now.

Pete retired in the mid '90's, continued to play golf at a very slightly increased rate, in other words all the time. Then when Mom passed and he got a little too old to play golf, he was very happy to have a big family and a barnful of grandkids to help him pass his time over his remaining years on the big round orb.

Pete expertly touched the lives of many people; nearly everyone that met him, young and old, was drawn to him; his departure is going to leave a bigger-than-average-sized hole in many hearts. He will definitely be missed.

Services will be on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013, 10:30 am at Advantage Runyan Stevenson Chapel located at 6425 W. Alameda Avenue, Lakewood, Colorado, 80226. Immediately following there will be a reception with food and drink at a nearby location to be announced at the service.

Flowers may be sent to Tom and Julie Gardner's house at 9100 W. 4th Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80226; or if you prefer, you may make a donation to Agape Healthcare (hospice) at 6041 S. Syracuse Way, Suite 220, Greenwood Village, CO 80111. Ph: 720-482-1988