Alton D. “Butch” “Al” Gardner, 71, passed away in the comfort of his family at the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin on his 71st birthday, May 26, 2017. Born on May 26, 1946, he was the son of the late Alton I. and Martha Rejane (Gelineau) Gardner. On May 24, 1969, he married the former Patricia M. Putvain in Hardwick.
Al grew up in Enfield, CT, where he served daily as an altar boy at the Felician Sisters Convent and was a 1964 graduate of Enfield High School. Following high school, Al graduated from Barber School and then was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served his country from February 16, 1966, until his honorable discharge on January 26, 1968. Al continued his service as a part-time member of the Vermont Army National Guard as well as applied his skills as a barber, operating a barbershop on Main Street in Waterbury for several years. Al returned to the Vermont Army National Guard full time on May 12, 1974, where he worked as a logistic technician from Camp Johnson in Colchester. Al retired as a master sergeant on May 26, 2006, following 38 years of total service.
A longtime member of St. Andrew Catholic Church in Waterbury, his other memberships included the Boy Scouts where he served as a Scoutmaster, Father Galligan Council 2085, Knights of Columbus, Luke 11, and he was Waterbury’s representative to the state emergency management board. In his leisure time, Al enjoyed woodworking, fishing, sailing, playing golf with friends, Taekwondo, but, most importantly, spending time with his family.
Al is loved and mourned by his wife of 48 years, Patricia Gardner of Waterbury Center; their children, Jennifer O’Day and her husband David of Meadville, PA, and David Gardner of Montpelier; his sisters, Marjorie Hart of Midlothian, VA, and Elaine Daniels and her companion Joe Blaisdell of Morrisville; as well as nieces, nephews and extended family.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated from St. Andrew Catholic Church in Waterbury on Thursday, June 1, 2017, at 11 a.m. with a reception to follow in the church parish hall. Inurnment will take place in Holy Cross Cemetery, Duxbury with military honors. For those who wish, memorial gifts would be appreciated to the Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org) or to St Andrew Catholic Church, 109 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05676. Assisting the family is Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury. To send online condolences please visit www.perkinsparker.com.
