Frank Gardner, a longtime resident of Newtown, passed away peacefully on November 10, 2025, at the age of 86. He was born on November 14, 1938, in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York.

Predeceased by his parents, Frank and Elsa, Frank is survived by his beloved wife, Jan; his daughters Christina (Chrissy) Egan of Sandy Hook and grandchildren Connor and Ellie; and Kim and her husband, Brian Spellman, of Medfield, Mass., and grandchildren, Drew and Boden. He is also survived by his sister, Suzanne Rikkola, and her husband, Rik, of Virginia, as well as many loving nieces and nephews.

Frank graduated from Paul Smith’s College in Saranac Lake, New York, where he majored in forestry. He proudly served in the US Army for three years before completing his education at University of New Mexico, studying engineering. His career took him around the world with RCA aboard the missile-tracking ship HH Arnold. He later spent 30 years working in engineering at Norden Systems in Norwalk. During this time, he mentored young boys through the Big Brothers organization and coached his daughters’ softball teams throughout their school years.

After his retirement from Norden (to return to his love of gardening), Frank started a landscaping business using his horticulture, forestry knowledge and landscaping skills, and later dedicated much of his time (from sun-up to sun-down) building stone walls around his property. In their retirement, he and Jan traveled often to capture the beauty of the outdoors — visiting the Grand Tetons annually, embarking on a wildlife safari in Africa, and photographing landscapes in Alaska and Banff. As an avid amateur photographer (who could barely be called “amateur”) he captured wild animals in their habitat and created striking award-winning photos while a member of the Flagpole Photographers Camera Club.

Deeply committed to his community, Frank was a longtime and proud member of Newtown Lions Club, one of the first to volunteer with clean-up or plantings on Newtown’s public lands, such as Orchard Hill, and voraciously selling fundraising raffle tickets. He was a passionate advocate for the protection of our environment (with his steady, moving Letters to the Editor) and volunteered faithfully at FAITH Food Pantry of Newtown.

His steadfast love of his family (and his many labrador retrievers) has always been apparent but, in his later years, his greatest joy came from his cherished grandkids. Frank delighted in watching them grow, sharing stories, and cheering them on in all that they did. His favorite times were spent with them around his self-dug backyard pond, studying the frogs, feeding the carefully-selected fish, and welcoming back a family of Mallard ducks, who return to raise their young each year — knowing that they (and their ducklings) will be well fed and fiercely protected from harm.

Frank will be remembered for his kindness, sense of humor, dedication to service, and deep love for his family and the natural world. His many talents and his love and passion for life will be profoundly missed.

Calling hours will be at Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street in Newtown, on Saturday, November 15, from 2 pm to 5 pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Newtown Lions Club, PO Box 218, Newtown CT 06470 or Save the Children — Attn Gift Processing/Suite 400, 501 Kings Highway East, Fairfield CT 06825.