In Memory
Dean “Ken” Gardner
May 4, 1921 - March 3, 2016
SOUTH BEND - Dean Kenneth Gardner “Ken” passed away on March 3, 2016. He was born in South Bend, Indiana, on May 4, 1921, to Dean McKibben and Dottie (Geyer) Gardner.
He graduated from James Whitcomb Riley High School in 1939.
Graduating a semester early from Indiana University so that he could join the war effort, Ken entered the Navy earning the rank of lieutenant second grade in World War II. He served as a codebreaker under Admiral Chester Nimitz in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Returning to South Bend, Ken first worked at the National Bank and Trust Company, where he met his wife, Norma LeVan. Ken and Norma were married in 1949 in St. Patrick's Church, where they attended for all of their married life. Ken then worked at the First Bank and Trust Company (later First Source Bank), from which he retired in 1988 after 42 years.
An excellent golfer, Ken was a member of the Burke Golf Association at Notre Dame. Ken was a Cubs fan since 1930, when his dad took him to his first game. Ken also enjoyed Big Band music and was an avid reader. He and Norma enjoyed traveling to northern Wisconsin and Michigan to fish and relax. They enjoyed dining out and were regulars at the University Club, Pat's Pub, The Louvered Door and Cira's restaurants. As a result of visiting the soda fountain in his uncle's pharmacy and working at Borden Ice Cream factory in his youth, Ken enjoyed ice cream until the very end.
Ken was a devoted grandfather to his grandsons, Joseph, Alexander and Jack Rapala. He delighted in spending time with them, as they did with him. Ken is also survived by his wife, Norma, daughter, Kathy Rapala, and son-in-law, Jim. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Norman Duncan Gardner; and his aunt and uncle, Edmund and Alice Geyer. Private services and Military Rites will be held Monday, March 7, 2016, at Southlawn Cemetery. Donations in Ken's memory may be made to the Pet Refuge Center, 4626 Burnett Drive, South Bend, IN 46614. The family would like to thank the staff at Southfield Village, the Center for Hospice Care, and First Source Trust Department who took kind and compassionate care of Ken.
Palmer Funeral Home-Guisinger Chapel, South Bend is assisting the family with arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com.
Published by South Bend Tribune on Mar. 6, 2016.
06/28/2023 EJS
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