Royal A Gardner

Written by Royal:

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To the thousands of people who have helped me in my life and have been such a positive influence, I wish to give a great big Thank You! If there are ones out there who I have offended, let me say I am sorry. I have tried to live my life to bring happiness to others.

I had the great privilege of being born to the best parents any child could ask for. They lived lives beyond reproach. I was born at a home in Delta, Utah on July 14th 1939 to Clair F Gardner and Alice G. Israelsen. I was the second child of this wonderful couple and fifth child having three older brothers- Schuyler (Joyce) Gardner, JR (Chris) Gardner, and Clair (LaVon) Gardner born to Clair F. Gardner and Rachael Moody before she died. My siblings are Chloe (Dale) Langston, R. Kent (Linda) Gardner, and Carol (Paul) Morgan. Growing up on a farm in Delta gave me a great beginning in knowing many fine people in Delta who actually took an interest in me and helped me become an Eagle Scout and an LDS missionary.

Following a mission to the West Central States Mission, I returned home and enrolled at BYU. I had many outstanding professors and good roommates, as I worked towards a major in Political Science and History and also earned a Teaching Certificate.

My first teaching job took me far from Utah. I joined the US Peace Corps following graduation and took my PC training at Northern Illinois Univ. and Hilo, Hawaii. I immediately fell in love with the Big Island of Hawaii and a few years after my Peace Corps service as a teacher of English as a second language in Sabah (North Borneo) Malaysia, I was fortunate enough to find a teaching position in Hilo where I built a home for my new family.

In August of 1968 I married Karen Greenwood (later divorced). We had four children born in Hilo Hawaii - Kathryn (Shaun) Mitchell, Gregory (Catherine) Gardner, Joseph Gardner, Jennifer Gardner and Andrea (Jared) Young, born in Utah.

My three daughters have given me 12 beautiful Grandchildren: Katie’s- David, Hannah, George and Jonathan, Jennifer- Kylei, Jordan, Alexis, Tiana and Skyler, and Andrea- Ryen, Shannon and Clara. My only regret in life is that I have not spent enough time with them as they all grew up too fast.

While serving as a teacher in the Sabah Chinese Middle School in Malaysia I fell in love with the people and cultures of Asia. I returned home, got married and immediately returned to Hawaii to teach school and begin work on a Masters Degree in Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii which I received in 1971.

After seventeen years in Hawaii I moved my young family to Utah where we opened the Mail Plus Service Center on Univ. Parkway in Provo. I met many wonderful customers during the nineteen years in business there. I was fortunate to have so many steady customers who stayed with me year after year. My employees were the best. They were a great help in building a successful customer oriented small business.

My church service includes serving as Sunday School teacher, Hilo State Executive Secretary, High Priest group leader and Bishop of the Northridge 4th Ward in Orem. But my favorite job was being a Primary Teacher and seeing the spiritual growth of the children. In each position it was my outstanding associates who helped me succeed in my callings.

My military service consisted of eight years in the US Coast Guard Reserve.

During my lifetime I have had the opportunity to study and live overseas in Malaysia, Singapore and China. I first went to China in 1974 while teaching in Hawaii. I was in the first US tour group to enter that amazing country after President Nixon established diplomatic relations with China. In 1974 I saw the “Old China '' during the Cultural Revolution, still ruled by MaoTseDung. Following a divorce I returned to “New China'' in 2008 as an English teacher in the beautiful city of Guilin, Guangxi Province.

My family would like to invite friends far and wide to celebrate my long and wonderful life at a memorial service on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at the Berg Orem Chapel, 500 North State Street, Orem Utah.