Francis (Fran) Robert Gardner, Jr., 76, Bradenton, died February 24, 2023. He was born May 15, 1946, at Boston Lying In Hospital in Boston, MA, and spent his youth in Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. In 1964 he graduated from Kennett High School in North Conway, NH and from Washington Bible College in 1968. He married Sandra Lee Landis on June 7, 1969 and completed his education graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1972. He started his ministry as a student minister in Tyler, TX and was ordinated by the IFCA on August 14, 1973 in Old Saybrook, CT. He pastored churches in Des Moines, Iowa and Port Huron, Michigan before moving to Sarasota to start University Parkway Bible Church in 1986 and retired in 2017. He spent more than 30 years refereeing baseball, football, basketball, and volleyball. He was an avid Boston Red Sox fan and listen to or watched every game he could since he was in the 6th grade, and like his father he loved playing the trombone.

Survivors include his father Rev. Francis, Sr. of Sarasota; former wife Sandra Gardner of Sarasota, FL; their children David (Skip) Gardner (Claudia) of Sanford, FL, Paul Gardner (Toni) of Sarasota, FL, and Tanya Miller (Zack) of Sanford, FL, along with six grandchildren, and brothers Stephan (Hollie) of Hailey, ID, Timothy (Kathryn) of Topeka, KS, and Daniel of Bunnell, FL; and one sister Cynthia Kinchla (Richard) of Falmouth, MA. His mother Muriel and a sister, Carol Dunnaway, proceeded him in death.

A celebration of life will be held at 4:30 pm on March 10, 2023 at Payne Park in Sarasota, Florida.

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