Harriet Gibbs Gardiner

GARDINER Harriet Gibbs Gardiner was 89 years old when she died on July 27, 2009 in the care of Community Hospice - Hadlow Center. Born Harriet Crossman Gibbs in 1920 to Judge George Couper Gibbs and Leonora Warnock Gibbs, Mrs. Gardiner was their third child and joined an extensive Gibbs family with historic roots in northeastern Florida dating back to Florida when it was a territory of the United States. She was a member of the first graduating class of the Bartram School which her parents co-founded and then went on to Vassar College, graduating in 1941. In 1942 amidst WWII, Harriet was introduced by a family friend to Asa Bird Gardiner of Baltimore, MD, and they became engaged just before he departed for Europe. While awaiting his return, Harriet kept busy as a caseworker for the American Red Cross and as an active volunteer. Harriet Crossman Gibbs and Asa Bird Gardiner were married at Riverside Presbyterian Church on September 28, 1945. After a brief time in Baltimore, the Gardiners returned to Jacksonville, raising three sons in Riverside Manor. The Gardiners became active members of St. Johns Presbyterian Church where Harriet continued to be a leader until the recent decline in her health. She became St. Johns' first woman Elder, for many years directed the St. Johns Kindergarten and was Bible Moderator for St. Johns' adult education. In 1967 Harriet returned to Bartram School as a history and geography teacher, helped direct school performances, and served on the Board of Trustees. With a long history of family community involvement, Mrs. Gardiner joined the Jacksonville Urban League in 1962 and served as its Chairperson in 1975. Among her other important activities were Lay Renewal Ministries, Common Cause, Youth with a Mission, the Jacksonville Historical Society and Lutheran Social Services. She helped start Meals-on- Wheels in Jacksonville, and regularly visited grieving families through Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. Mrs. Gardiner was a member of the Junior League of Jacksonville, Colonial Dames, and the Florida Yacht Club, and she also enjoyed Alliance Franaise, the Jacksonville Symphony, and the Cummer Museum of Art. Harriet Gardiner is survived by her three sons, Philip Parkhurst Gardiner (The Netherlands), Stephen Hopkins Gardiner (Quincy, MA), and George Couper Gibbs Gardiner (Cincinnati, OH), eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, all of whom celebrate her enriching and loving life. A memorial service will be held at St. Johns Presbyterian Church on a date to be announced shortly. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to remember Harriet Gardiner may choose to make a donation to St. Johns Presbyterian Church or Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com