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Obituary: Christopher Gardner Jr. |
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 June 19, 1931 - August 19, 2008 Christopher was born in Arlington, MA to parents Christopher Albert Gardner and Eleanor McCarthy Gardner. He spent his childhood enjoying the outdoors and fostering his love of bluegrass music, even performing on local radio with a friend under the name of The Sunshine Boys. He attended Arlington High School and graduated from Tufts University where he was a star high jumper. He was called upon to defend his country during the Korean War as a Naval Officer with the Seabees in the Marshall Islands, engineering and building military bases. With the GI Bill in hand and a fascination with the West, Chris headed across the country to obtain a Masters degree in Civil Engineering at Stanford University. There he met his future bride, Mary Ann Clinton, and eventually settled in Belmont, CA where they raised their family. Chris retired in 1995 after 35 years as a Hydraulics Engineer with the Bechtel Corporation. He served as Project Manager on leading hydroelectric projects in the Northwest as well as abroad. Chris was a devoted husband and father who shared his love of music, skiing, hiking, camping and fishing with his friends and family. Every summer he carefully planned the family camping vacation with an emphasis on visiting National Parks and Monuments. Ever the engineer, no trip was complete without a visit to the local dam project. After retirement, Chris and his wife enjoyed traveling throughout Europe and Asia. Christopher is survived by his wife of 47 years, Mary Ann, his children Julia Savage (Colin) of Hillsborough; Jennifer Fields (Danny) of Hayward; Amy Wooliever (Patrick) of Half Moon Bay; Christine Gardner of El Granada; and Robert Gardner (Elizabeth) of Hong Kong. His grandchildren Matthew and Katie Savage, Jackson, Louis and Owen Wooliever, and Ingrid Gardner were a source of great joy to him. He is also survived by his sister, Rosalie Gardner of Arlington, MA. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. A Rosary will be held on Monday, August 25th at 7 p.m. at Crippen and Flynn Carlmont Chapel at 1111 Alameda de las Pulgas in Belmont, CA. A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, August 26th at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1040 Alameda de las Pulgas in Belmont. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his memory to the Peninsula Open Space Trust, 222 High St., Palo Alto, CA 94301. Crippen & Flynn Carlmont Chapel www.crippenflynn.com (650) 595-4103.
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