Barbara A. Gardner, beloved wife of Paul R. Gardner went home to be with Jesus after a brief illness on Friday, December 15, 2023 at Cox South Hospital, Springfield, MO.

Barbara Ann was born on Tuesday, April 6, 1948 in Jacksonville, Florida to Louis Jr. and Katherine (Georgavitch) Duncan. She married Paul Richard Gardner on September 28, 1968  in  the Carsonville Baptist Church, St. Louis County, MO. and have been married for fifty-five years.
In 1980, the family moved to Mt. Olive, IL where Barbara was active in the First Methodist Church and the Girl Scouts. She loved gardening flowers and plants, crocheting, and bread making. In 1995, they moved to Staunton, IL and by then grandchildren came along. Barbara took a caring, loving role in helping raise them. After Paul's retirement in 2013, they moved to Springfield, Mo and joined the Renew Methodist Church of Willard.

Barbara was very active in the community. In 2019 she completed training from the Greene County Sheriff's office from the Citizens on Patrol Academy, and in 2023 she received her certification in Crisis Intervention and also received her CCW permit.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Paul R. Gardner; two daughters, Karen Lynn Davis and Kristy Marie Tumpach; four grandchildren, Caleb Michael Tumpach, Brandan Scott Davis, Alexandria Paige Tumpach and Jacob Alexander Tumpach; one sister, Suzanne Jett and husband, Mark, of Stover, MO; one brother, Danny Duncan of Overland, MO;  and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Louis William Duncan Jr. and Katherine (Georgavitch) Duncan.

A Celebration of Life will be from 12:00-1:00 pm, Thursday, December 21, 2023 in the Klingner Cope White Chapel  Funeral Home: 5234 E. State Hwy EE. Springfield, MO 65802. Funeral service will follow at 1:00 pm in the funeral home with Rev. Jon Millen officiating. Committal service will be in the White Chapel Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Online condolence may be made at klingnerfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family request that a memorial in memory of Barbara may be made to the American Diabetes Association or the American Cancer Society.