Ronald A. Gardner

WHITEFIELD - Ronald A. Gardner, beloved husband of D. Jeannine (Emerson) Gardner, died peacefully at his home on Tuesday, September 15, 2009, in Whitefield following a long illness.

Ronald was born on May 16, 1932, in Morgan, VT, the son of Roy E. and Audrey H. (Powell) Gardner.

He was educated in the Newport, VT, public schools until his senior year in High school, He graduated from Owego Free Academy in Owego, NY.

On April 8, 1951 he married Jeannine Emerson who survives him.  Four children were born to them, three of whom survive: Dana R. (wife Karen) of Tiverton, RI; Laurel Gardner of Tewksbury, MA: Glenn R. Gardner (wife Lori Jo) of Littleton, NH.  A daughter, Ronni Jean Fedele pre-deceased Ronald in 2002.  There are eight grandchildren, Heather, Andrea, Allison, Jacklyn, Aaron, Isaac, Cassady and Reannan; four great-grandchildren, Mia, Ronni Brynn, Brien and Aaden.

Ron is also survived by his sister, Juanita Fugere of Newport, VT, and many nieces and nephews.  Four brothers and a sister predeceased him; Lyndon, Malcolm, Russell, Dorian (Huck) and Gwendolyn Mesler.

Ronald was a member of the Vermont Army National Guard from 1950 to 1952.  In 1956 he joined the U. S. Border Patrol, training at the Border Patrol Academy then located in El Paso, Texas.  Upon graduation, he was stationed at Laredo, Texas, for three years.  In 1959 he was transferred to Buffalo, NY where he served as station Senior for eight years.  In 1967 he transferred to the U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and was station in Derby Line, VT.  He also served at the Beebe Plain, VT, border station where he was well known and regarded, especially by the young people of the area who looked up to him and appreciated his interest in them as he counseled them to achieve their very best in life.

In 1986 he was selected to be Area Port Director of Immigration at Stations Rout 91, Route 5 (Derby Line), Beebe Plain, Norton, and North Troy with his office at Route 91 Derby Line Port of entry.

He served with distinction, receiving awards for outstanding service until his retirement in 1994.  In 1992, he received the Commissioners Equal Employment Opportunity Award for encouraging and assisting employees to develop to their full potential as evidenced by integrating women and people with disabilities, successfully into the unit.  He received this award at the Commissioners Annual Awards Ceremony in Phoenix, AZ.

He always did his best and encouraged others to achieve excellence in all their endeavors.  He favorite admonition to others was to "Think, think, think: (before you act).

Ronald was a master carpenter having learned the trade as a teen-ager and young man helping his father build houses and barns in the Newport-Derby area.  He built his own home and barn on the Beebe Road (now Darling Hill Road) in 1968.

The family raised Angus beef cattle and boarded horses for several years.  An accomplished horseman, Ron raised and trained his own registered Palomino and enjoyed hours riding him.

He was an avid gardener, always having an enviable vegetable garden.  His first gardening love, however, was his prize rose bushes, 20 - 30 of them at any given time.  These and his vegetables he shared with many.

A memorial service will be held at the Community Baptist Church, Whitefield, Sunday afternoon, September 27, at 2:00 PM.  Reverend Clifford Vendt, pastor, will officiate.  Interment will follow at a later date in the Gardner Family plot in Derby Center Cemetery, Derby, VT.

Donations may be made in his memory to the Community Baptist Church Building Fund, Box 27, Whitefield, NH 03598.