John Lewis Gardner

John Lewis Gardner, 89, of Lake Mary, Florida died June 25, 2025, at Advent Health in Orlando after a six year struggle with an autoimmune disease. John was born in Texas but grew up in Haynesville, Louisiana. He graduated from LSU and then Caltech in aerospace engineering. He lived in California where he and his first wife had two sons, Brian J. Gardner and Matthew D. Gardner.

John worked for Douglas Aircraft and then MacDonald Douglas until he took a position at the Pentagon as the Executive Director of the Strategic Defense Initiative (sometimes referred to as "Star Wars") during President Reagan's years in office. After leaving the Defense Department, John returned to McDonald Douglas in their Corporate office in St. Louis.

His wife of 26 years, Marian Caraway Gardner, likes to say he returned to the South in 1992 to meet a woman who understood his Southern Roots. John took Marian off the dance floor and put a golf club in her hands. He said if she could spin while doing the two-step, then she could certainly hit a golf ball. John lived for 20 years on the 15th fairway at Bay Hill Golf Course where they hosted friends every March during the tournament. John returned Marian to Lake Mary in 2013 where they lived on the 9th fairway at Heathrow Country Club. John "shot his age" at 70 (for non-golfers, that is good because most amateur golfers never break 100). He also had his first hole-in-one six months after having triple by-pass heart surgery at age 65. That one was followed by 6 or 7 more in the next 20 years.

John was preceded in death by his son Matthew D Gardner.

Survivors include his wife Marian, his son Brian J (Chris) Gardner, Granddaughters, Angelica (Leavy) Gardner Ray, Celeste G Gardner, Great Grandson, John Westley Ray, and several 1st and 2nd cousins as well as golf friends who are as close as brothers.