Kenneth F Gardner

Kenneth Francis Gardner, passed away peacefully at home in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

Ken was born July 21, 1937, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Frances Wolotkiewicz Gardner and Kenneth Gardner. He grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was raised by his step-mother, aunts, uncles, and cousins after his mother’s early death.

Ken received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Temple University and his Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania.

His professional career in public broadcasting started in Lehigh Valley, PA, where he met, fell in love with, and married Anne Pearson. They married and started a family, and he began his new role as a father. He was soon recruited as the founding CEO of a new public broadcasting station and moved his family to western Kansas. Ken shared his passion for bringing valuable news, education, services, and the arts to underserved populations in Kansas, and this enabled him to put together and activate a new studio and station through fundraising and site development. KOOD T.V. flourished, and the Smoky Hills PBS station, in Bunker HIll, Kansas, serves a wider area today.

After his time in Kansas, Ken cared for his aging step-mother in Pennsylvania, and then took a position as a station manager at WNVC in Fairfax, Virginia. He went on to educate younger generations as an invested, charismatic Professor. He enjoyed working with motivated students in Pennsylvania, where he started a TV and Film Program at DeSales University. He later taught at Northern Virginia Community College. While in Virginia, he met and fell in love with Patricia Branch, who became his best friend and wife.

Ken worked hard, was a lifelong learner and he eventually took life’s lessons to heart and started to enjoy life more. He was an avid reader, deep philosopher, and unintentional poet and political influencer. His extroverted personality came out when he sang or danced, especially at the Mummers Day Parade. He also loved tennis, golf, and riding his bike. He loved all animals and creatures, and exploring the world, from the oceans and rivers to art museums to musicals.

He once said, “Treasure is great but memories are forever.” He was so right. Ken has left a legacy of determination and discovery that will continue to develop for his wife, three daughters (Jane, Laura, and Katharine) and beloved grandchildren. They will live in his honor.

You can consider donating to one of his favorite organizations, the dolphins at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, https://www.cmaquarium.org/, or to the people who care

for injured birds of prey at the Moccasin Lake Raptor Sanctuary https://www.moccasinlakeraptorsanctuary.org/, or planting an oak tree, which represents his strength, stability, longevity, and the way he cared for his family and community.