Saying Goodbye.

Gardner Lockes family held his "Celebration of Life" yesterday at Ferguson Ridge, our local ski area... Gardner was instrumental in making this community ski area come into being in the 80's...His money, his brains, his common sense and his skills of bringing people together to discuss what was the best way to approach things, helped to made it happen...I first met Gardner at a school board meeting (he was a board member) when I was picked to represent the classified staff to negotiate wages and benefits...I was green, meaning I didn't know what I was doing but was the only one willing to give it a try...I approached the board with a newly developed wage scale for the classified staff and also ask about the possibility of raising the maximum that the school would pay for lodging if we had to go out of town for meetings or training...I said, "Right now the school will only pay $25.00 a night and you can't get a decent motel for that price." Gardner with a twinkle in his eye and a smile playing at the corner of his mouth said, in his slow talking way, "No you can't and a "lady, like you" shouldn't be staying in that kind of a place."...I found a friend that night and we had many conversations over the years as I visited with he and Tappy at their home on Prairie Creek.

Gardner was a nuclear engineer working at Hanford (Washington state) in the 6o's & 70's, they had 6 boys and adopted a girl to finish out the family...Tappy told me just last week on the phone that Gardner liked his work there but he started having black outs at work, so they began looking for a different place to live and a different lifestyle...They found a ranch with a large farm house in Wallowa County but before they really settled in they decided to apply for a position with the Peace Corp and ended up living in Ecuador for two or more years...After the stint in the Peace Corp they came back to Wallowa County to finish raising their family.

When I arrived at Fergie yesterday the smell of BBQ was in the air...The sounds of laughter floated my way as I approached the steps of the ski lodge...Tables were laden with potluck and Gardner's friends gathered either filling their plates or visiting in small groups...Family and friends shared food and stories throughout the afternoon...I slipped away early as clouds gathered over the mountains and a storm approached...This had been a fitting tribute to a special man, I felt privileged to call him my friend... Hugs to All...OWAV:)