The following obituary was published in the Connecticut Post on May 3, 2012.
James W. Gardner, Jr., age 65, of Fairfield, passed away on April 30th, 2012. In addition to his beloved wife, Patricia Hunter Gardner, of Fairfield, he will be lovingly remembered by his son Justin and daughter in-law Jennifer Gardner of Fairfield; grandchildren W. Colby and Elizabeth Gardner of Fairfield; mother, Mildred Gardner of Bridgeville; sisters, Mary Ellen Dale of Newark, Delaware, and Jody Ann Hayden, of Monroe, Michigan. He was predeceased by his father, James W. Gardner, Sr. Born in Pittsburgh, he grew up in Bridgeville, PA, graduating from Chartiers Valley Senior High School, class of 1965, where he was valedictorian, senior class president, and captain of the football and baseball teams. A graduate of Dartmouth College, class of 1969, James played football, majored in Economics, and was a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and Dragon Senior Society. He married his devoted wife of 42 years, Patricia R. Gardner, in 1969 and started as a salesman for Proctor & Gamble with responsibility for the South Bronx, NY. As he advanced through the company, the family made homes in New Windsor and Yonkers, NY, Cos Cob and Fairfield, Atlanta, GA, and Cincinnati, OH (twice). In 1987 he was named head of sales for the Richardson Vicks division, and returned to Fairfield. After 23 years with P&G, he left the company in 1992 to join the Westin Group consultancy, and was a Senior Partner before starting his own firm, Gardner Associates, in 1998. An avid golfer, he was an active member of the Patterson Club in Fairfield, serving as president from 2001–2002. Through his highly anticipated annual golf trip, he forged a profound bond with the people and places of Scotland and Ireland. A member of the Dartmouth Club of Eastern Fairfield County, he served as the Dartmouth Book Award Chairman from 1997–2012. In recent years, particularly during his illness, he took great joy from the company of his grandchildren who knew him as “Big Jim.” A memorial service in Connecticut celebrating his life will be announced at a future date. Contributions in his name may be made to: Closer to Free, a joint effort of Yale Cancer Center and Smillow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, 333 Cedar Street, PO Box 208028, New Haven, CT 06520 (www.giveclosertofree.org).
These classmate obituary pages are our attempt to honor and remember classmates who have passed away. We have attempted to find and share a public obituary and have added some photos and classmate comments. In some cases we have not been able to find an obituary. If you know of an obituary where one is missing, please let us know. If you have a remembrance you think is important to share, please let us know. Comments can be submitted through the Contact Us form on this web site.