Funeral services for Mildred Gardner, 96, of Portales, will be held at 10:00 AM, Sat., Sept. 4, 2021 in the Wheeler Mortuary Chapel with her son, Rodney Gardner officiating. Burial will follow in the Causey Cemetery with Troy Gardner, Todd Durham, Douglas Brakebill, Lowell Gardner, Marcus Gardner, Matt Gardner, Braden Vaughan and Aaron Vaughan serving as pallbearers. Sharla Sharp, Terry Hicks, Toni Poskey, Tina Smith, Stephanie Gardner, Ann Marie Patrick, Leslie Collar, Amanda Pinkston and Jena O’Dell along with all of her great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren will serve as honorary pallbearers. The family will receive guests at the funeral home on Friday evening, Sept. 3, 2021 from 6 to 8 PM.
Mildred Frances Gardner was born Feb. 7, 1925 in Portales to the home of Ada Alice (Yarbrough) and Stephen Amos Corbin and died on the morning of Sept. 1, 2021 in Farwell, TX where she had recently been in an assisted living facility. Mrs. Gardner grew up in the Rogers/Causey community. She was the Valedictorian of her 8th grade class, but chose to leave school at the age of 15 to marry the love of her life, Gene Gardner on April 27, 1940. Together, they operated a family dairy at Garrison. In addition to having an innate love of work, Mrs. Gardner enjoyed dancing, and attended as many senior dances as she could in her later years. She also enjoyed hunting for antiques, and traveling. After her husband’s death in 1982, she took a number of bus tours. All of her life she loved to work outdoors and take care of her yard. Mrs. Gardner took great joy in caring for babies and babysitting for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was an accomplished cook, and she and her husband often had young school teachers and others at their dinner table. When she wasn’t working outside, she often worked puzzles of all types. She was a member of the Baptist church.
She is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Rodney and Vickie Gardner of Lubbock, TX; four daughters and two sons-in-law, Patricia and T. L. Brooks of Clovis, NM, Bonnie Brakebill of Lake Hills, TX, Frances Bilberry of Portales and Tracy and Buddy Vaughan of Fredericksburg, TX; a son-in-law, Jerry Durham of Dimmitt, TX and a daughter-in-law, Marilyn Gardner of Portales, NM; 17 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and 9 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, two sons, Larry and Butch Gardner; a daughter, Beverly Durham; a daughter-in-law, Tooter (Mrs. Larry) Gardner; a son-in-law, Gary Brakebill; five brothers, Earnest, Delous, Melvin, Harold and Clifford Corbin; three sisters, Opal Cox, May Howard, and Velma Gardner along with a baby sister; and by her husband, Gene Gardner who died May 10, 1982 after more than 42 years of marriage.
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