of Batesville, AR

February 4, 1933 - May 15, 2015

James E. (Jim) Gardner, 82, of Batesville, died Friday, May 15, 2015 at White River Medical Center. Survivors include his son, Gene Gardner and his wife, Elizabeth Cook, of Jefferson City, Missouri and his daughter, Elizabeth (Gardner) Green, of Batesville, Arkansas. Other survivors include his three grandchildren, Josh Green of Jonesboro, Stacie Gould of Batesville, and Rachel Bryant of Des Moines, Iowa, and four great-grandchildren, Kaleb Green, Jaci Green, Rylee Gould, and Kaylee Gould, and many nieces and nephews. He was also survived by two brothers-in-law, Morris Meacham and Curtis Atkinson and one sister-in-law, Beth Meacham, all of whom he was very close to. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Virginia (Meacham) Gardner; one brother, Bill Gardner; two sisters, Lola Mae Wieble, Mary Jo Miner, and one infant sister, Rosalie Gardner.

Jim was born on February 4, 1933, in Mt. View, Arkansas to Joseph Elliott and Lola Pearl (McMurtry) Gardner. He was a very active boy that loved the outdoors, baseball, fishing and hunting with family and friends. His father, Joe, worked for Arkansas Power & Light Co. and laid-out much of the very first electrical service lines in the Mtn. View/Batesville area (during the rural electrification period of our nation, late 1930s). His family moved to Searcy, AR, where Jim did most of his growing-up attending school and where he graduated from Searcy High School in May 1951.

In 1951, his father moved the family to one of the big white houses on Main Street in Batesville, AR, and he began attending Arkansas College (now called Lyon College) for a while. In Batesville, Jim played on Batesville's simi-pro baseball team as their star catcher. However, it was at the old Rainbow Drive-In that Jim made his best catch of all - that's where he met Virginia Margaret Meacham (daughter of Homer and Mabel (Morris) Meacham) and they were married on May 31, 1952 (in Biloxi, MS, while Jim was in the USAF).

Jim had entered into active service in the U.S. Air Force in February, 1952, and in August of that year Jim (and Virginia) completed his training as a Control Tower Operator at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. Upon graduation from Keesler, the USAF stationed him in Japan for several years where he was a control tower operator. Jim and Virginia's son, Gene (who currently lives in Jefferson City, MO), was born in 1953 while Jim was stationed overseas. His overseas service concluded in 1956, and they had their daughter, Liz (Gardner) Green of Batesville, AR. Jim was Honorably Discharged from the Air Force in December 1959. Following in his father's footprints, Jim transferred to the Univ. of Arkansas - Fayetteville, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in June 1961.

Jim began his career in Searcy, AR, with AP&L (now called Entergy) in June 1961. In 1968, Jim moved his family to Batesville, AR, where Virginia and he owned and operated Felts Motel (on old Hwy. 167 North). Jim continued to commute to his AP&L job in Searcy for many years before being transferred to Batesville. Jim and Virginia also developed, owned and operated Hidden Valley Mobile Home Park (next to Meacham Packing Co.) for many years. He retired as an Asst. District Superintendent from AP&L on May 18, 1990, after 29 years of service.

For many years Jim and Virginia lived on Amy St. in Batesville. They were members of the Moorefield United Methodist Church in Moorefield, AR. They loved traveling and camping in their RV on trips with their family, easily making friends everywhere they went. He was a caring, giving, and kind person who never met a stranger and always had a kind word for everyone. Virginia passed away in December 2007, and Jim eventually moved into the Wildewood Independent Living Center (October 2011). Jim continued his love of the outdoors, baseball and any sort of Razorback sports. He was an exemplary volunteer (and Treasurer) with the White River Medical Center Auxiliary and he especially enjoyed helping families get through trying times while sick in the hospital. He was also very active in the local Chapter of the AARP, serving as President. As so many folks have said, he will be sorely missed!

Pallbearers are Greg Green, Josh Green, Glen Pool, Ben Pool, Bo Gould, and Vic Brumfield.

Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at Moorefield United Methodist Church with Pastor Lavon Long officiating. Burial will follow at Oaklawn Cemetery under the direction of Roller-Crouch Funeral Home of Batesville.

Visitation will be from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.

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