Leroy Gardner Obituary

Gardner
Leroy Thomas
Gardner
November 7, 1931
August 17, 2022

Beloved husband, dad, Grandpa/Papa, Pastor and friend, Roy passed away on August 17, 2022 at the age of 90.
Roy was born in Walsenburg Colorado on November 7, 1931. He attended John Mall High School in Walsenburg where his winning time for the 200 yard dash stood for decades. He met Shirley Mae Tyler while attending Northern Baptist Seminary in Chicago. After a short courtship, they were married on August 17, 1957. Roy and Shirley served in American Baptist churches in California, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. They settled in Minnesota where they raised their three daughters and Roy served as a hospital chaplain in the Twin Cities area.
After his retirement in 1985, Roy and Shirley moved to Fairbury, Illinois to care for Shirley's aging father. In 2004, they settled in Colorado where First Baptist Church of Colorado Springs became their church home. Roy served as the volunteer Visitation Pastor for four years and said it was the highlight of his ministry career. When he wasn't visiting someone in need, he could be found scrubbing the church kitchen from top to bottom, or doing dishes after an event, or cleaning or any number of other things. He loved to serve.
Roy was known for his generous "fix-it" skills and was never far from his tool bucket. He was always willing to extend a helping hand no matter how challenging the project. Roy and Shirley were avid birdwatchers. He loved to cook and bake and his specialities were spaghetti sauce, beef stroganoff, homemade bread, cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies! He enjoyed fishing mountain streams, traveling with Shirley, and spending time with his family.
Roy is survived by his wife of 65 years, Shirley; daughters Jill (Jeff) Pagel and Carol (Steve) Pollitt; son-in-law Cecil Bonebright; grandchildren James (Rachael) Bonebright, Tyler (Betsy) Pagel, Josh (Holly) Pagel and Alicia (Scott Lopez) Beinbrech and bonus grandson Andrew Kwon. Great-grandchildren Isaiah, Malachi, Levi, Logann, Penelope, and Annette. He was preceded in death on May 13, 2022 by his eldest daughter, DeeAnne Bonebright.
Memorials to First Baptist Church of Colorado Springs or La Puente Home Inc., Homeless Shelter in Alamosa Colorado. https://lapuentehome.org/shelter/
The Visitation will be held at Shrine of Remembrance, 1730 E. Fountain Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80910 on Thursday August 25, 2022 from 5:00-7:00pm.
A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Curch of Colorado Springs, 317 E. Kiowa St. Colorado Springs, CO 80903 on Saturday August 27, 2022 at 10:00am. A light lunch will be served afterwards. The service will be livestreamed and can be found at www.firstbaptist-cs.org