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Obituary for John A. Gardiner

John A.  Gardiner
John Andrew Gardiner was born at the Westerly Hospital & was raised in Hope Valley. He tragically died at the age of 49 at the RI Hospital early Sunday, July 30th where he had brain surgery. His mother was told that even if he survived his lung injuries, his entire brain was so damaged that he would never come out of the coma. She made the very painful decision to remove him from life support.

He is survived by his father George A. Gardiner of Hope Valley; and his mother Linda Melbourne- Van Dyke and step father James Van Dyke of Ashaway. In addition to his parents, he leaves a sister Eve Andrews of Dayville, CT. He was very close to his uncles, Kenneth H. Melbourne (67) of Ashaway and Kenneth K. Melbourne (49) of Bradford; and his aunts, Sylvia K. Thompson of Ashaway and Nola Denslow of Vermont.

In 1994 John started John's Window Washing in Watch Hill which he ran with his mother. He was known in Watch Hill as the window guru. His regular clients meant a lot to him and many became friends.

John was loved by his many friends in Westerly where he was known to help just about anyone in need but had a special affinity for the elderly. He would just show up to clean gutters spring & fall or do whatever they needed. Whenever he was in a store, like McQuades, or a local eatery he would see an older person in line and tell the cashier to add their bill to his. This happened at least once a week. He also had a great sense of humor. I remember one time in McQuades when he did that and after the lady unloaded her full cart, she reached down and had many prepared food dishes from the hot food section. His eyes got big and he laughed and said that he best go clean some more windows to pay for this! If he was with his mother, he would ask if a senior citizens discount was available for his grandmother! Many stories of his generosity are coming from all over Westerly. For himself he was very thrifty, but not concerning others. His best friend Pete Lambrects nicknamed him as "The Peacemaker" as he was a quiet gentle man and always tried calm reason in any situation needing that.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service at Grace Methodist Church, 10 Park Avenue, Westerly on Sat. at 10am. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Westerly Senior Citizens Center, 39 State St., Westerly, RI 02891 or Crandall House, PO Box 314, Ashaway, RI 02804 in John’s memory. Gaffney-Dolan Funeral Home, 59 Spruce St., Westerly is in charge of the arrangements. For online condolences please visit www.gaffneydolanfuneralhome.com

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