From Susan Endow Gardner

Travis “Butch” Gardner, Class of 1964 (b9/12/45 – d7/3/2001)

Butch was called home to the Lord at the age of 55, after learning just 10 days prior that he had terminal cancer. He died knowing Christ as his personal Savior and Lord of his life, having given his life to Jesus in 1979.

Butch and I (Susan Endow) were married in 1969 while he was on a 30-day leave from the Vietnam War, and over the course of nearly 33 years of marriage we became the parents of two children: Hillary, age 27 (married, no children), and Brock, age 23 (married, no children).

We lived all our married lives in Pocatello, where Butch worked at FMC for 35 years, first in the furnace department while obtaining his Vo-Tech certification as a drafter/designer; then as a drafter; then as an engineer, having completed an engineering degree on the GI Bill after Vietnam; then in the last several years in maintenance management and supervision.

Throughout his adult life Butch was a “project” person—whether restoring vintage autos, renovating and enhancing our cabin in Salmon Nat’l Forest, or working on various “garage” projects. He did take up fly fishing as a hobby for relaxation, and reinstated a lifelong interest in motorcycle riding when our son was old enough so the two could ride together. At the time of his passing he was preparing for retirement, and had purchased a metal lathe and milling machine to build steam engines (I know, who else would want to do something like THAT?)

Some of Butch’s fondest memories were of his high school days and the “kids” he went to school with in American Falls. He loved to recount stories of events and adventures, often adding a little “enhancement” to make them more interesting. I think his motto was, “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” I know he would have loved to have been here with you all to share and retell many of those old stories.