John R. Gardner

John R. Gardner, 79, of RD Philipsburg and formerly of Alexandria, died November 21, 2025, at his residence.

John was born on December 1, 1945, in Leicester, England; a son of the late John W. and Sheila Margaret Jacqueline "Jackie" (Hunt) Gardner. Jackie, a Leicester native, met John and they were married while he was serving with the 82nd. Airborne while stationed in England during the Second World War.

The family relocated to Pennsylvania following the war and settled in the Altoona area. John was a graduate of the Altoona Area High School. He also attended the Pennsylvania State University.

John enlisted in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. Following his National Guard training, he accepted a position with Bell telephone as a switch operator. During his working career with Bell Telephone (now Verizon), he was stationed at their Philadelphia, Altoona and Huntingdon offices. He retired from the company after 30 years of service.

John was married on October 22, 1966, in Winchester, Virginia, to the former Shirley Ann Uliano. She preceded him in death on June 24, 2016.

He is survived by two sons, Scott A. Gardner and his wife, Starina, of Alexandria and John D. "J.D." Gardner and his wife, Jill, of Altoona; grandchildren: Bethany Gardner (fiance, James Miller), Trevor Gardner, Brittany Gardner, Devon Gardner (fiancee, Chelsey Diehl); great-grandchildren: Riley and Carson Gardner, Camden and Elijah Miller, and Maverick Gardner; a sister, Pam Robinson, of Duncansville; his loving companion, Roberta L. (Matson) Burns, who survives at home; and numerous other extended family members.

John was a member of the gFree Church, (Gearhartville) RD Philipsburg.

John was an old fashioned / old school outdoorsman. He was the kind of man that would rather keep time with a pocket watch rather than a fancy wristwatch. Also, he wasn't much for keeping his money in a wallet; always kept his bills in a money clip. He was a man that talked in plain English. He would often be put off by other outdoorsmen that were too "high-brow" and/or liked to use fancy "50 cent" words; especially when it came to fly fishing.

Among his favorite pastimes, he enjoyed shooting trap at the area sporting clubs and shooting sports facilities. He was a member of several area clubs that included the Alexandria Sportmans Club, Tyrone Sportmen's Club and a Life Member of the Shenecoy Sportsmen Club. He was also a member of the NRA and Trout Unlimited. He also enjoyed shooting his muzzleloaders and black cartridge rifles at the ranges in the regional area. However, his greatest passion was for fly fishing. He was an accomplished fly fisherman and would often be seen on his favorite waterway, the "Little Juniata." He was also accomplished at tying his own flies. He taught numerous fly fishing / tying seminars though the years and was even invited to speak at a seminar at the Chautauqua Institute in New York.

A memorial service celebrating John's life will be held at the gFree Church, 305 Keystone Hill Road, Philipsburg, Pa., on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 3:00 pm, with Pastor Noel Meyers, officiating.

The family will receive guests at the church on Saturday from 2:00 pm until the time of the service.