Michael Victor Gardner

Mike was born to Noble Victor Gardner ("Lammie") and Fern Elizabeth Gardner (Parke) on January 18, 1955. Mike, along with his father, mother, and brother, Danny Lee, lived in the Hoopeston area before eventually relocating to Wheaton, Illinois, where he graduated from high school. He excelled in all sports.

Mike proudly served this great nation in the United States Navy from 1974 until 1980, when he was honorably released from active duty.

He is survived by his children, Eric (Cheryl) Gardner of Wilton, Connecticut, and Emily Gardner-Wallace of Southaven, Mississippi; his wife, Teresa, of Memphis, Tennessee, and her children, Andrew Dixon of Oakland, California, and Anne Dixon of Berkeley, California. Mike was a proud Grandpa/Papa to Skye, Summer, and Forest Gardner, and Jamal, Layla, Elijah, and Olivia Wallace.

Mike leaves behind a host of family and friends who loved and respected him. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Danny Lee.

For 50 years, Mike worked in the construction industry, spending the last 25 years as a construction and masonry estimator in Memphis, where he "Built the South."

Mike was a passionate fan of golf, the Fighting Illini, the Chicago Bears, and the Chicago Cubs—and did we mention golf?

Services will be held on Saturday, June 27, at 1:00 p.m. at Friends Church, 201 East North Street, Ridge Farm, Illinois 61870. Graveside services will follow at Crown Hill Cemetery in Ridge Farm, Illinois.

Teresa and the children will also host a Celebration of Life during the St. Jude Golf Tournament in August in Memphis, Tennessee. Mike was deeply passionate about giving back to the Mid-South community, and St. Jude held a special place in his heart.

When all is said and done, relationships are all that really matter. It doesn't matter how much money we have, where we live, or how many toys we have collected. None of these things comfort us, console us, cry with us, or love us. Our investment in the people we care about is the only legacy that has the power to endure beyond our lifetime.

—Anonymous

I'll see you on the other side, Mike.