Noble Whitfield Gardner

Noble Whitfield Gardner died peacefully at his home in Overgaard, Arizona from causes incident to his age. He was 94 years old. Noble was born on May 8, 1916 in Saint Michaels, Talbot County, Maryland to the late Frank Kirkman and Myra Bell (Noble) Gardner. As a young man, he moved to Ashville, North Carolina where he graduated from Ashville High School around 1934. Following his high school education, Noble attended North Carolina State University where he received a double bachelor's degree in Forestry and Electrical Engineering. He was an extremeley brilliant man and academically, he proved it. Noble was never an idle man and, throughout his long life, he spent countless hours in the service of others. While still a kid, Noble bought a cabin from a mountainman for about five dollars and, that began an appreciation for the great out-of-doors that he kept for the rest of his life. While in his youth, he hiked, hunted and explored all over the Appalachian Mountains and truly appreciated the beauty he found in the wild. He was an avid photographer during his entire life and even had his own darkroom, in which he was able to develop his own pictures. Many of those pictures now hang in the homes of dozens of family members and friends in frames that he handmade himself. He was a very skilled craftsman. In the early 1940's, Noble worked for Lockheed Aerospace in Glendale, California where he designed and built fuel tanks that fit under the wings of several military jets and bombers. It was also during the 1940's that he acquired his first 4 X 4 Jeep. Since then, Noble has always had some sort of 4 X 4 or another and, he knew how to have fun in them. He loved exploring the Baja California Penninsula of Mexico as well as the desert sand dunes of southern California and Arizona in his 4 X 4's. Following his employment at Lockheed Aerospace, Noble was asked to be an instructor at West Coast University in Los Angeles which is a tradeschool. While there, he taught others the skills of Machineshop Work and Welding. He was a gifted teacher and literally taught hundreds to be master's of their crafts. With his Electrical Engineering degree, he was quite knowledgeable with electrical gadgets. He could fix anything. He owned and operated an electrical fix-it shop and an equipment rental facility as well. Before he moved to Arizona, Noble lived in Twenty-nine Palms, California. He was a Civil Defense Director for 15 years and was a founding member of the Search and Rescue Team of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office. With that position he was automatically deputized as a deputy sheriff and when Noble was given his badge he was issued badge #1. He was very involved with the Search and Rescue Department and assisted in many desert rescues over the years. He moved to Arizona 31 years ago and quickly became a familiar and friendly face in the Heber/Overgaard area. He loved living in the mountains. He appreciated the beauty of the Mogollon Rim as well as the White Mountains. From February 1982 through April of 1993, Noble worked for the Forest Service. During his residency in Overgaard, he was enrolled in the Senior Community Service Employment Program in Heber/Overgaard and was their Distric Photographer and was in charge of their maintenance department. He was trusted by everyone and looked up to by all. In appreciation for the responsibilities that were entrusted to him, Noble donated photos, that he took himself of various wildlife animals including: bear, deer, elk, mountain lions and others, to the Heber Ranger District. To this day, many are still on display. He is survived by: his son, Nathan "Nick" (Judy) Gardner of Diamond Bar, California; daughter, Jamie (John) Zerbe of Pima, Arizona and by a granddaughter, Amy McCloud of Annapolis, Maryland. Along with his parents, Noble was preceded in death by his wife, Neva (Trask) Gardner on October 29, 1997 and by 2 sisters: Eilleen Galer and Doris Huckenpaler. Noble's family wishes to "thank" everyone who has befriended this gentle man. Your friendship meant a great deal to him and your acts of kindness never went un-noticed. Private family services will be held, when he and his sweet wife, Neva, will be laid to rest together.