He was a faithful shepherd and servant that touched countless lives. Though he’s no longer with us, his presence will forever be felt in the foundation he helped lay and the lives he helped shape. His influence will forever be in our hearts and in our church. We cherish the legacy he left us.

Bishop Gardner was a friend’s friend. He never met a stranger and impacted so many lives. He just had a way to make people feel loved and special. He loved and cherished his wife Violet of 63 years. He loved his family and loved showing them off any chance he got.

He along with close friends and family founded the Huntland Pentecostal Church in 1977. A few years after starting the church, he and his family moved directly behind the church. With his love of basketball, he helped erect a gymnasium at HPC.

He was a Union Boilermaker of the Local 454 out of Chattanooga for approximately 30 years. He was known to be a great craftsman in the boilermaker trade and one of the best welders of the Local 454.

He was an ordained licensed minister of Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ from 1979 to 2003, an ordained licensed minister of United Pentecostal Church International from 2003 to 2025. He served as district chairmen in both the AL and TN districts of the ALJC. He was a board member of the Blue Mountain Children’s Home in Blue Mountain, MS. He received a lifetime achievement award from the UPCI TN District in 2019.

He loved sports, especially basketball. He loved music and playing and singing, especially southern gospel. In his retirement years, he loved sitting on his front porch with his precious wife watching the humming birds, visiting with friends and family, and especially watching the many activities going on at HPC.