THOMAS CHRISTIAN GARDNER

THOMAS
CHRISTIAN GARDNER

LAKELAND - After a long struggle with cancer and heart disease Tom Gardner went to be with the Master on Friday Oct. 30, 2020. He fought it with everything he had for over 19 years. He was a loving husband, a great father, and a doting grandfather. Once when he and his wife were on vacation in Captiva it was going to be grandparents day in Lakeland at their grandson's school, so ,they got up early in the morning and drove three hours to attend that special day for their grandson.
He was an avid runner for 46 years and in 2001 ran the Chicago Marathon with a friend. He was known in his neighborhood as 'that guy that runs every day.' He liked to run between 4 and 6 miles each day. He always said it helped him solve problems and rethink decisions he had made that day at work and sometimes at home. They also called him a 'great guy.'
He was also a tremendous sports fan and grew up going to games and pulling for Georgia Tech. The day he married Eleanor was the Tennessee vs. Tech game and he told her that they would have to watch the game that night...and they did. He said that Fall was his favorite time of year because it was 3 months of football. Then came March Madness. His favorite thing to do was attend his grandchildren's sporting events.
Born July 30, 1946 to parents Blanche and Max Gardner he was named after his grandfather who served in Georgia as a Methodist minister. He was married on October 16, 1965 to Eleanor Woodall Gardner. They met in high school at Sylvan Hills Highschool in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduation he attended Georgia State University in Atlanta and began working in transportation. He made his career in the transportation and trucking industry. He was a vice president of corporate sales at Consolidated Freightways and Watkins Motor Lines here in Lakeland.
Tom is survived by his wife Eleanor Woodall Gardner, his son, Brett Alan Gardner, his daughter, Julie Hunter Gardner TerHaar and his grandchildren Kolby Alan Lambert, 24, Owen August Gardner, 17, Ethan Gardner Terhaar, 14, Alice Faine Gardner, 12, and twins Adele Eleanor Gardner and Virginia Stevens Gardner, 7, and his triplet nieces and nephew, Jeanie Duke and Elizabeth Bolton, nephew, David Callaway and many dear friends. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Jean Gardner Callaway.
Tom was a Methodist like his grandfather. He and Eleanor were married at Mary Brannon Methodist Church in Atlanta and attended First United Methodist Church in Lakeland. There will be an outside service for family and friends at the church in the fountain courtyard and all attending are asked to please wear masks. In lieu of flowers to the church, donations are requested for The Children's Clothes Closet which provide clothes and school uniforms and bookbags for Lakelands needy children, Fill the Table which provides food for those who are in need, and Tuesday's Tigers who build ramps for wheelchairs and other things people need. All of these are sponsored by the First United Methodist Church of Lakeland at 72 Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland, Florida, 33801. Or you may want to donate to the American Cancer Society at 122 E. Main Street, #215, Lakeland, Fl. 33801.