Marie Gardner

Edna Marie Gardner, 62, passed away on June 25, 2020 after a long battle with cancer. She is survived by her beloved husband of 42 years, Stephen; her two daughters Melissa Winfrey (Cameron) of Cary, North Carolina and Michelle Thomas (Shawn) of Bryant, Arkansas; and four grandchildren, Lila, Sam, Emmett, and Jax. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on June 30, 2020 at Smith Sherwood Funeral Home.

Marie was born in Kansas City, Missouri on July 28, 1957 to the late Homer and Frances Sargent.  After meeting through a mutual acquaintance, she married Steve on October 15, 1977 and immediately took on the role of an Air Force wife. She and Steve began their life together in Florida but were eventually stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base where they lived for the bulk of Steve’s military career. It was there they formed lifelong friendships, friends who along with her family were by her side in her final days.

Marie took great joy in being a full time mother but as her girls grew older, she reentered the workforce, working for the state of Arkansas as a secretary for the Department of Community Punishment and then Arkansas Probation and Parole. Upon Steve’s retirement from military service, they settled in Sherwood.

For many years, Marie and Steve were members of Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Jacksonville where they both enjoyed singing in the choir. Losing her singing voice was something that Marie lamented the most about cancer. They later became members of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock.

Marie loved to read and sew. She was a loving wife. She is remembered by her daughters as the most devoted of mothers, someone they could lean on and laugh with. In her later years, Marie reveled in her role as a grandmother, spoiling her grandchildren whenever she could. She was a loyal friend, honest and generous with everyone she met.

First diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 46 in 2004, Marie’s strong will made her determined to beat it. This same determination fueled her when the cancer subsequently reappeared in 2006, 2011, and 2017. Unfortunately, the disease took her far too early. Her beautiful spirit, her kind, loving nature, her laugh and her hugs will be missed by all who knew her.