Wayne Leon Gardner

Wayne Leon Gardner, 87, of Barton County, MO, passed away peacefully surrounded by family in the early morning of August 29, 2025.

Born on September, 20, 1937, in Barton County, Wayne was the eldest child of Floyd and Sylvia (McCulloch) Gardner. Raised with his sister Wava Joyce Gardner (Trout) on several farms in northern Barton County, he learned early the importance of hard work, perseverance, and self-reliance. After graduating from Golden City High School in 1955, he traveled to California and worked various jobs before joining Chicago Bridge and Iron (CBI), a global construction firm, in 1957.

In 1958 he married the love of his life, Karen Lee Bethel of Independence, MO. They shared 67 years of marriage together. In homes filled with love, they raised two sons, Jeff and John, and instilled in them the values of responsibility and integrity. Wayne's career took them all over the U.S. and beyond, including many years leading large oil field construction activities in Saudi Arabia and managing multiple global construction projects out of London, England. In 1970, they returned to Barton County, and the family farmed for 13 years. As Jeff and John went off to college and work, Wayne and Karen returned to his career with CBI, traveling in the U.S. and to Venezuela and Aruba. During his time with CBI, Wayne and Karen lived on four different continents.

Despite all his traveling, Wayne always considered Barton County home. After retiring from CBI in 2000, he and Karen built a house near where Wayne had been born and returned to the roots of his raising, farming. "Man owes his existence to six inches of topsoil and the fact that it rains" is a quote Wayne was fond of, and it captures his humility, his wariness of vanity, and his love for reckoning with the land. Although hard work was central to his life, Wayne also cherished spending time with his grandchildren, fishing on the lake, walking with his dogs, playing cards, and visiting with family and friends. If a family member or friend was in need, he was always quick to help.

Wayne is survived by his wife Karen, his sons Jeff (Tammy) and John (Cindy), eight grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Wava Joyce and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A celebration of life will be held at Golden City Community Center on Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.