Obituary of Martha Katharine Gardiner

Martha Katharine Gardiner (nee Schnitchen), our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, relative, and friend, known by many as Gerty or Gigi, passed away on Saturday, January 18th, 2020, surrounded by family. Survived by her best friend and husband John of 60+ years, children Matthew (Lisa), Michael (Annette), James (Holly) and Katharine (Keith), grandchildren Maxwell, Alec, Ian, Hailey, AJ, Lucas, Marais and John, great-grandchildren Aniyah and Delaney, her brother Frank, numerous nephews and nieces, godchildren, and a host of long-time friends. A caring and warm-hearted person, she welcomed everyone in her home and made everybody feel loved (unless you were in her kitchen while she was preparing a grand feast for family and friends). She was always there to help others, a dedicated volunteer driving cancer patients, and caring for sick family and friends. From 1958 to 1963, Martha was a teacher at Elsie English School providing loving care to disabled children. She was the most selfless person that any of us will ever know. She left this world on January 18th, 2020, but the world is a better place because of her time spent on it. She was an amazing, beautiful person and she will forever live in the hearts of those that had the privilege of being part of her life. We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to Dr Scher and the staff at Maple Park Lodge for the care and support they provided Martha during her fight with Alzheimer's disease. Funeral service will be held at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Fort Erie on Saturday, January 25th, 2020 at 11am. A Celebration of Life will follow at the Fort Erie Golf Club at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Douglas Memorial Hospital Auxiliary.