George E. Gardner of Oxnard, California, born January 3, 1936 to Hervey and Dorrice Gardner, passed away on November 7, 2017. He was the youngest of five children. George enjoyed close family ties and always admired older brothers, Andrew and Bill. His sisters, Helen and Jo looked out for him. George grew up in Wakefield, MA and Gilmanton, NH. He loved swimming and diving at Gardner Cove. He enjoyed raising animals, like goats and chickens. George graduated from Jamaica Plain High School in Boston, MA and then attended New Hampton Preparatory School. He later entered the ROTC program through the University of New Hampshire, where he lettered in three sports and was named to the La Crosse All American Team. Once he graduated from UNH with a degree in Dairy Husbandry, he was commissioned as an officer with the United States Air Force, attaining the rank of Captain. 

George trained as a B-47 pilot and flew many missions in Europe during the Cold War. He was one of the pilots during the Cuban Missile Crisis. His biggest accomplishment was keeping the peace during the Cold War.

After the Air Force, George pursued a career in the dairy business. He was a General Plant Manager at H.P. Hood and Sons in Boston, MA and Arden Mayfair in Anaheim, CA. After moving to California, George changed careers. He worked for Victor Business Machines in Santa Barbara, CA and from 1974 to 1978, George was an owner/manager of Sambo’s Restaurant in Camarillo. He later opened his own restaurant, Gardner’s, in Ventura in 1978. George again changed careers and worked as computer consultant for Lewis and Lewis in Ventura and Sage Consulting in Camarillo.

Early in his life, George married Linda Campbell, in 1962. The couple was blessed with two daughters, Kerri and Kelli. He later married Gayle Robinson in 1983 and they enjoyed 34 happy years together. When he retired at 75, he remained active. He found time to tutor kindergarten students in his daughter Kelli’s classroom at Tierra Linda Elementary School. He was an avid Los Angeles Dodgers fan and he enjoyed playing racquetball and gardening. George’s most favorite times were family times. Holidays, birthdays, his granddaughters’ volleyball, soccer and basketball games and family special events always made him happy.

George is survived by his loving wife of 34 years, Gayle Robinson; brother, William Gardner (Noreen); daughters, Kelli Luna (Marty) and Kerri Kaminski (Andres); and six wonderful grandchildren, Sabel, Janek and Connor Kaminski and Morgan, Mary and Madison Luna. George was preceded in death by his parents, Hervey and Dorrice Gardner; brother, Andrew Gardner; and sisters, Josephine Hamel and Helen Tenney Miller.

...Family in the care of Erin Arteaga, Funeral Director

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