Golden F. Gardiner

MALTA – Golden Frederick Gardiner, 93, of Malta, passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016.

He was born February 18, 1923 in Peterson, Utah, the son of Hope Hulet and Frederick Gardiner. He graduated from Raft River High School in 1940 and attended Utah State Agricultural College before being inducted into military service where he served in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed on Treasure Island when the war ended in 1945. In 1949, he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from Utah State Agricultural College. After graduating he worked for the U.S. Geological Survey Surface Water Division in Salt Lake City, Utah for a few months until he was called to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Eastern States Mission. The highlight of his missionary service was helping with the Hill Cumorah Pageant in New York. It was there that he headed up the work crew and where he first met his future wife Barbara J. Ehlers. They were married October 31, 1952, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple and would later serve three full-time missions together for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After marriage Golden taught school in Malta and Declo before attending graduate school at the University of Utah where he received a Master’s Degree in Science Education in 1961. He later taught in the Engineering Department at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California. After a year at Long Beach he moved back to Malta where he started farming and working for the Raft River Rural Electric Co-op, where he retired in 1991. Golden was a kind and gentle husband and father. He was compassionate towards those in need. He lived a life of honesty and hard work and would often point out those same qualities in others. He had a serenity about him and always knew what mattered most to his Heavenly Father. He always put his wife and children first. He seemed to always be too busy for hobbies but when he did have a spare minute he loved to work with horses. Golden was preceded in his death by his parents; brothers, Robert and J.H. Gardiner; sisters, Mary Gardiner, Margaret Ottley, and Dawn James; his wife Barbara; daughter, Cathy Goff; and son-in-law, Brent Goff. He is survived by seven of his eight children, Brad (Susan) Gardiner of Pocatello, Ginger (Malin) Moench of Falls Church, Virginia, Nathan (Shanna) Gardiner of Meridian, Corby (Missy) Gardiner of Mesa, Arizona, Matthew (Marie Jeanne) Gardiner of St. George, Utah, Anne (Jed) Francis of Logan, Utah, and Spence (Dara) Gardiner of Malta; 44 grandchildren; and 37 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Gloria (Dean) Ottley, of Quincy, Wash., and his brother, Frank (Lillian) Gardiner of Provo, Utah.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Malta LDS Church, 280 N. 1st St. W., in Malta, with Bishop Richard Hall officiating, military honors will be provided by the Mini-Cassia Veterans Organization. Friends may call from 9:30 until 10:45 a.m. preceding the service at the church. Burial will follow at the Valley Vu Cemetery.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Rasmussen Funeral Home of Burley.