Richard Garey Gardiner, 75

Richard Garey Gardiner of Binford, North Dakota, 75, passed away Tuesday, June 16, 2020, in Mesquite, Nevada.

He was born April 28, 1945, in Kalispell to Earl and Katherine (Lighthall) Gardiner.

He married Karen Peterson on Nov. 25, 1972, at West Prairie Church in rural Binford, North Dakota.

Ric was raised in Montana. He attended Evergreen Elementary School and then attended Flathead County High School. Following high school, he briefly attended Gonzaga University. He joined the Navy in March of 1964, then he served with the Marines as a Navy Corpsman Combat Medic. He fought in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966. He then attended the University of Montana where he majored in creative writing. He attended the Physician’s Assistant Medex Program at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and graduated in 1971. After working as a P.A. in several North Dakota rural clinics, he worked in student health at the university in Vermillion, South Dakota. He served in the National Guard in Vermillion and, while in Las Vegas, he served in the Army Reserve and worked at the Industrial Medical Clinic. While in Las Vegas, he got his Realtor’s license and worked in residential real estate. He worked for the Department of Defense and traveled overseas during that time. He worked as a medical officer at the Chemical Weapons Disposal Facility in Tooele, Utah. Then he went to Mesquite, Texas, and worked at Concentra Occupational Health. He then returned to Las Vegas and continued in commercial real estate. Upon retirement, Ric and Karen moved back to Binford and enjoyed spending the winter months in Nevada.

Ric traveled all over for business. He was an avid reader and had an extensive book collection in his personal library. His other hobbies included writing poetry and music.

He is survived by his loving wife of over 47 years, Karen Gardiner; cousins, Daniel Bangeman of Somers, Montana, and Nancy Roush of Canton, Ohio; nephew Michael (Cindy) Dunn of Lubbock, Texas; niece, Sandy Dupuy, of Kalispell; sisters-in-law, Phyllis (Larry) of Big Stone City, South Dakota, and Virginia (Ronald) Grove of Grey Eagle, Minnesota; nephews, Paul (Sandy) Grove, Peter (Angie) Grove, Christopher (Vicky) Grove; Timothy (godson) (Kristin) Grove, Aaron (Breck) Grove, Nathan (Amie) Grove, and Joshua (Trisha) Grove; niece, Bethany (Joe) Gieske; and many great-nieces and great-nephews; and a group of Marine buddies with whom he shared a very special bond.

A memorial service will be set for a later date. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on their guestbook at www.virginvalleymortuary.com.