William D. "Bill" Gardner III

In the DA's Office, he, along with Michael Ash and Mike McCann hired me, mentored me, and became dear friends. On the bench, he became a colleague again, deepening our friendship. He was wonderful in both public roles but, in some ways, best behind the scenes ... kind, sweet, steady, patient, and always -- always, no matter how busy! -- ready to listen and support. Thank you, Bill, for all you gave me. Thank you, Bill's family, for sharing such a superb man with us all. Charlie (Judge...

Bill was the love of my life and I will miss him. But he was not well and deserved to have a much better life in the arms of our Lord. We shared more in our 10 years together than many couples who were married more than 50 years. Thanks, my love and God bless!

My condolences to all of Judge Gardner's family and friends. I had the pleasure of appearing in his courtroom countless times and always looked forward to seeing him. He was an outstanding judge and truly a wonderful man. He will be missed by everyone in the legal field.

My sincere condolences to Bill's family. Bill and I worked together at Javis Company, later named Data Retrieval Corporation of America, in the 1960's we corresponded via telephone and letters between Virginia and Milwaukee to rebuild documentation for that company. In 2003 Bill officiated at a marriage ceremony for Byron and me at the Mitchell Park Domes and attended our reception in Muskego. Years later he told me that his second marriage made him very happy. With fond...

It was a privilege to have practiced law before him and an honor to have called him friend.

Bill and Tony, my thoughts are with you. Your father was such a kind man and was always there to listen. If you were friends with his sons then you were treated like part of the family. I know he made me feel that way. He will be missed.

All obituaries seem say flowery things like he/she was kind and compassionate or patient and giving, but Judge Gardner was really all of those things. It was a loss for the bench when he retired and is a loss for the world with his passing.

Blessings sent to all his loved ones. May you all find comfort in all the good memories you have of him. He married my daughter years ago. Such a very kind man.

As gentle and respectful as a jurist or as a lawyer as he was as personally, his death is monumental loss regardless of the capacity in which our lives were fortunate enough to cross his. I can think of no finer legacy than his kindness and decency he shared with all. Chip Burke