Event Date : Monday, January 08, 1951 Event Type : Death
Description : Died at his home, Bradford, Ont. Husband of Bertha Kirby. Father of Ada and Thomas. Rested at his home for service on January 11 at 2:00 pm. Interment in Newmarket Cemetery. Prominent businessman in Bradford. In failing health for the past several years, having suffered several serious heart attacks. At the weekend, he suffered another seizure from which he failed to rally.
Event Date : Friday, May 30, 1975 Event Type : Death
Description : At York County Hospital, Newmarket, on Friday, May 30, 1975. Ada Gardner, beloved daughter of Bertha and the late H.F.S. Gardner, beloved sister of Tom. Friends called at the Lathangue and Skwarchuk Funeral Home, 30 Simcoe St., Bradford. Service was held in the Chapel, Sunday, at 4:00p.m. Interment Newmarket Cemetery.
"Tom Gardner, longtime hardware store owner and active member of many community groups, has been named the Bradford and district citizen of the year by the Chamber of Commerce. ..."
Event Date : Sunday, February 26, 1984 Event Type : Death
Description : A well-known Bradford resident died this past Sunday after suffering a heart attack following a lengthy illness.Eighty-one-year-old Thomas Gardner had been a resident of Bradford since 1918 and was chosen as the town's Citizen of the Year in 1976. Mr. Gardner was born in Newmarket and moved to Bradford with his family at the age of 16. He and his father, Herbert, opened Gardner's Hardware Store on Holland St. and supplied the needs of local residents. When his father died in 1950, Thomas continued the family business. He soon married longtime Bradford resident Rita Cook and had two sons of his own, Donald and John. Don worked with his father at the hardware store until 1962. The store was sold in 1973. Mr. Gardner sat on the Bradford Board of Education for 40 years and was chairman of the board at the time Bradford Public School was built. Other accomplishments included being a member of Bradford town council, elder and active member of the Bradford United Church and superintendent of the Church's Sunday School program for 25 years. He was also president of the Red Cross at the time of Hurricane Hazel. For 30 years, Mr. Gardner was a dedicated member of the Bradford Lions. He leaves behind his wife Rita, sons Don of Simcoe and John of Willowdale, and grandchildren Jim, Dave, Jane and Peter. Funeral service will be held today (Wednesday) at 2 p.m., at the Lathangue & Skwarchuk Funeral Home. Burial will take place at the Newmarket Cemetery.
