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Clifford C. Gardner, 78, passed away Wednesday evening, April 9, 2003, succumbing to a long, tough battle with cancer. He was born December 4, 1924 in Valleyhead, AL and moved to Santa Rosa, NM with his family three years later and graduated co-valedictorian at Santa Rosa High School. Clifford served in WW II in the OSS, his introduction to the war was on D-Day, landing on Juneau Beach attached to the Canadian 3rd Army. He served in Europe and was Ernest Hemingway's driver while the writer was a war correspondent for various US news agencies. Gardner was among the first group American liberators of the infamous Nazi death camp in Buchenwald and was honorably discharged from service in December, 1945. Clifford entered the University of New Mexico's engineering school and eventually went to work for Timpte Brothers trailer manufacturers. He managed with Timpte until he retired in 1978. In 1976, he married Nadyne Nave Heard, then a schoolteacher at Taylor Middle School. They moved to TorC in 1979 and Clifford went into the Nave family ranching business. A few years later, Gardner was one of the founders of KSNM-FM and KHQT-FM Radio serving southern New Mexico and El Paso and he remained active as a director until they were sold in 2002. He and Nadyne were great friends and companions, traveling often, making endless friends across the country. But his true love was Elephant Butte Lake. He was genuinely in love with life in TorC, what he often refered to as"the Center of the Universe." In the mid-1980's Clifford served as a Sierra County Commissioner, winning his first term in a"landslide" by two votes. Never a big"joiner", he was proud to belong to the Brotherhood of Elks; a member of the Rotary Club and Sierra Bass Club. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Laura; by his first wife, Lois; a younger brother, Bill; sister, Vivian and a granddaughter, Alexa Heard. He is survived by his wife and"bride" of 28 years, Nadyne; his daughter, Carla lfeld; son, Whitney; son, John Heard; son, Jeffry; and daughters, Jenifer Erickson and Anne Hallet. He is also survived by his mother-in-law, Ruby Nave of TorC,NM; his brother, Leonard; and sister, Joanne Winland; grandchildren, Matthew and Jason Vaillencourt, Sean, Michael and Alicia Gardner and Amber Graham, Wake and Aidan Gardner, Greta Erickson, Zack and Nick Heard and Delilah and Damien Hallet; and four great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 13, 2003 in the Chapel of French Mortuary (TorC) from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and services will be conducted on Monday, April 14, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. at the Hillsboro Community Center with Jack Cain officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorial contributions in Clifford's memory be sent to the Career Health & Education Program to benefit the Gardner Learning Center, P.O. Box 1528, Truth or Consequences, NM 87901. Arrangements are by French Mortuary of TorC, Inc. 505-894-2574.
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