WEBSTER – Chief Warrant Officer John H. Gardner, 55, U.S. Army National Guard, died Monday, April 3, 2017 after a brief illness.
He leaves his wife of 14 years, Katherine M. (Staruk) Gardner; 4 children, Timothy J. Gardner and Samantha J. Gardner, both of Webster, Tanya & Paul O’Leary of Stoughton and Jennifer Gardner of Melbourne, FL; 3 brothers, David Gardner of Waterville, ME, Jim Gardner of Uxbridge and Wayne Gardner of Uxbridge; 3 sisters, Ruth Foley of Worcester, Nancy McGrath of Melbourne, FL and Bonnie Scherr of Mendon; his father and mother-in-law, Harry J. Staruk, Jr. and Margaret A. Staruk of Worcester; 2 brothers-in-law, Harry J. Staruk, III of Worcester and William J. Staruk of Washington, D.C.; 2 sisters-in-law, Barbara J. Staruk of London, England and Elizabeth A. Staruk of Los Angeles, CA.
He was born in Framingham on September 25, 1961, a son of Roscoe and Charlotte (Gassett) Gardner. He was a graduate of Algonquin High School in Northborough and attended Mass Bay Community College.
Chief Gardner was a member of the Army National Guard Reserves having been activated for 5 different tours of duty. He served in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and had been sent twice to Iraq and finally to Afghanistan. He also aided in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina and was called in after 911.
His first and enduring passion was the Army. He had a strong call to serve his country and help in times of trouble. He was a mechanic and enjoyed fishing with his daughter, Samantha and white water rafting with his son, Timothy.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at noon, in the Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, 340 School Street. Burial with military honors will be on Monday, April 24, 2017 at 11:15 A.M. in Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne. Visitation will be from 9:00 A.M.to 12:00 P.M. Saturday in the funeral home. The family asks that flowers be omitted and donations in his name be made to Run To Home Base, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114.