“Sometimes, flying feels too God-like to be attained by man. Sometimes, the world from above seems too beautiful, too wonderful, too distant for human eyes to see.” – Charles A.
Lindbergh Randall "Randy" C. Gardner passed away peacefully on Aug. 12, 2024, at the age of 71, surrounded by his family in Marietta, Georgia.
Born on Aug. 23, 1952, in Montreal, Quebec, Randall lived a life as a gentle giant of a man whose personality was as big as he was. When he was in a group, he was usually the center of attention.
He was a wonderful father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend to so many people. He was lucky enough to live his dream — from the time he was 8 years old he wanted to be a pilot and over many years, in which he started out flying mail in an old plane left over from World War II, he rose to the position of a well-respected captain of an Airbus A300 for UPS by the time he retired in 2012. He loved every minute of it.
He was a true raconteur who regaled everyone with hundreds of stories from over the years — made even funnier by his retelling of them. Randall is survived by his children: daughter Leah Gardner; son Jeffrey Gardner, his wife Holly, and their child Cash Hudson; and son Erik Gardner, his wife Juceli, and their children Yasmin, John and Gabriel. Randall is also survived by his sister Judy Bliss; his niece Jessica Connolly, her husband Timothy James "TJ", and their children Tyler and Abigail.
He was preceded in death by his mother M. Dorleen Merrill and his father Randall D. Gardner.
The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude for the support and kindness shown during this time. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Research Hospital in Randy’s honor.
Randy Gardner will be deeply missed, but his memory will live on in the hearts of us all. Blue Skies and Tailwinds..
