Robert Joe Gardner

Robert Joe Gardner was born on December 22, 1931, in Craig, Missouri. To his family and childhood friends, he was known as Bobby Joe, and to everyone else, he was known as Bob. During World War II, he moved with his family on a Greyhound bus to Virginia Beach, VA, as his father began working at a shipyard in Norfolk. At that time, his family consisted of two older sisters and a younger brother and sister. Bobby Joe enjoyed playing all sports, was an enthusiastic boy scout, had a newspaper route, and was a golf caddy in his early teens. He also played football, basketball, and baseball at the Varsity level at Virginia Beach High School, where he was senior class president. While in High School, he and his football team joined the Marine Reserves and to their surprise, they were called up to active duty during the Korean War. As a Marine, he served for two years on a ship in the Mediterranean after which time, he returned to high school and went on to study at Virginia Tech, earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. After graduation, he moved to the DC area and began working for Birely and Co. and later worked for GEICO. It was during this time that a friend invited him to First Baptist Church of Alexandria because “there were a lot of pretty girls there.” He started attending the church and soon met Phyllis Brubaker. Bob and Phyllis were married on June 12, 1965. They moved to Alexandria and had 3 daughters; Patricia, Barbara, and Jennifer. Bob worked in sales most of his life, and also worked as a carpenter and in customer service. He loved to play his favorite sport, golf, and even taught lessons for a while. His hobbies included oil painting, country line dancing, and woodworking. He was proud of his three daughters and his six grandchildren and bragged about them to anyone who would listen. Bob leaves behind his wife of 57 years, Phyllis, his daughters, Patricia Arnold (Tim), Barbara Elliff (Chris), Jennifer Gardner, and grandchildren, Meagan Arnold, David Arnold, Allison Arnold, Katie Lynne Elliff, Carter Elliff, and Landry Elliff. He was preceded in death by his parents Ethel and Carl Gardner, and his siblings Juanita, Roberta, Betty Jo, and Jack. Donations on Robert’s behalf may be made to made to either Capital Caring Health or First Baptist Church of Alexandria, VA: Eskridge-Coleman Children and Youth Ministry Fund 2932 King St. Alexandria, VA 22309 *checks should be made out to FBA Foundation with fund name noted in memo

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Robert Joe Gardner

December 22, 1931 - September 15, 2022