Jack L. Gardener

Jack Lawrence Gardener passed away at the age of 99 ½ in Marina del Rey, California on February 5, 2020.

Jack was born on July 22, 1920 in Hanford, California at his grandparents’ house to William John Gardener and Georgia Lovejoy Dubois. He was the second of three children with an older sister, Virginia, and a younger brother, Lynn.

Most of Jack’s life was growing up in Los Angeles with a 3 year period in Wasco, California. He attended Manuel Arts High School for 10th grade and graduated from Dorsey High in 1938. After high school, he attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for a year and a half.

He joined the Naval Reserves in July 1940 where he was stationed in San Pedro, California from October 1940 until January 1942. He heard about the V-12 Program through which he was able to become an officer; a lieutenant. Jack thought at one time he would make a career of the Navy, however, life got in the way. He had learned sheet metal work from the family’s sheet metal business and eventually needed to leave the service to run the family business with his sister and brother.
At Dorsey High, Jack’s senior year, he was assigned a Leadership class where he met Dorothy Polizzi. They were married October 6, 1946. They had four children, Cheri, Joan, Jim and Vicky.

Jack and his siblings ran Commercial Sheet Metal Inc. until he “retired” somewhere around 2000.

Jack is survived by his four children: Cheri Bromberger of Yuma, Arizona; Joan (Bob) Gillies of Playa del Rey, California; Jim (Pam) Gardener of Rancho Mission Viego, California; and Vicky Huffman of Priest River, Idaho; nine grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. His father, mother, sister, brother and wife preceded him.

The funeral service will be held February 19 at noon at Green Hills Mortuary, Rancho Palos Verde, California. Reception to follow at Jack’s home in Westchester, California.