Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Gardner, Harry F. 1978
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Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net August 2, 2011, 10:42 am

Ionia Sentinel Standard, 5 Jun 1978

A 101-year-old veteran of the Spanish-American war died over the weekend in
Veterans’ Administration hospital.  Harry F. Gardner, 101 years old, of 206
Water street, Lyons, died Sunday evening, following a short illness.  Gardner,
who turned 101 this year, was born in Juniata, Nebraska, on March 6, 1877, the
son of William and Emma Gardner.

Gardner, according to a report published in the Sentinel-Standard in March 1977
when the Lyons community honored him with a 100th birthday celebration, was born
in a sod hut and was delivered by a Sioux midwife.  He moved to Lyons with his
family when he was two-years-old, 99 years ago.  He attended Muir schools for 12
years, graduating from high school at 16 and being employed afterwards in an
iron foundry.

Speaking of his Spanish-American War experiences at his 100th birthday, Gardner
said, “One night Archie Burkett and I ran off and joined up with Captain Frank
Curtiss’s camp, in Company 1, 34th Division, and trained at Island Lake near
Detroit.  We went to Washington, marched 13 miles down Pennsylvania avenue, and
boarded a ship for Cuba.  I saw Teddy Roosevelt with the Roughriders come riding
down the hill, swinging his sword over his head.  He wasn’t afraid of death. 
Teddy won the war – cleaned the country.”

He also recalled, “The food was bad, the ground hard, and the temperatures 105
to 110 – it was an awful time.”  At that time, from a company of 100 men,
Gardner believed he was the only one remaining to tell the story.  

Discharged from the Army in 1898?, Gardner married the late Mildred Hornbeck in
September 1904.  She died in February 1974.

They were both employed by Herrick Casket company in Lyons until 1912.  He
worked in the Powell Handle factory in Lyons and for Hayes Manufacturing company
in Ionia.  He was also an oil dealer in Lyons.  He retired in 1943 as an
interior decorator in the Lyons area.

He had been a member of Lyons Lodge of Masons since 1910, was a member of the
Frank D. Curtiss Camp of Spanish-American War veterans.  He was appointed
commander of Michigan for United Spanish-American War veterans in December 1977,
by the U.S. government.  He was a member of Lyons-Muir Civic club and was a
charter member of Lyons VFW post 4646.

He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Elaine Nelson, of Lyons, one sister, Mrs.
Helen Walker of Lansing.  Two brothers and four sisters preceded him in death. 
He is also survived by two grandsons and three great granddaughters.

Services will be Wednesday at 3 p.m. from the Muir Presbyterian church, Rev.
Mark Matter officiating.  Burial will be in Lyons cemetery, with military
honors.  Masonic services are Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Hull Memorial chapel.


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