Memorial services for Dr. Arthur W. Gardiner, Jr. were held on Sunday the 21st of February at 2 pm at Trinity Assembly in Algood, Tennessee. Rev. Ed Malone officiated. Private graveside services were held Thursday February 18 at Shipley Cemetery. Dr. Gardiner died Saturday February 12, 2021 at the age of 91. Born in Detroit, Michigan to Arthur, Sr. and Mildred Virginia Rowe Gardiner on June 28, 1929, Art grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia. His earliest job was as a paper boy, delivering papers all during World War II. He graduated from Matthew Whaley High School in 1948 and followed in his mother’s footsteps to Cornell University where he graduated in 1953. At Cornell, he threw the shot put, javelin, and discus, breaking school records at the time. After a stint in the Army, he earned his master’s in mechanical engineering at Cornell. He met Nancy Morton over the back fence in Williamsburg and married her on August 7, 1959, the “best decision I ever made.” He spent a number of years working at Hughes Aircraft in the Los Angeles area and Cummins in Indiana before pursuing his doctorate in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech. In 1972, he moved with his family to Cookeville, Tennessee, where he was associate professor of mechanical engineering at Tennessee Tech until his retirement in 1994. He loved teaching, whether it was on the subject of internal combustion engines, healthy habits, or the history of World War II. One of his passions from childhood was steam engines, and he was still designing and building them up until the very end. He was part of the Steam Automobile Club of America since the 1960s. He designed and partially machined a steam engine that unofficially broke the world speed record for steam dragsters. His colleagues appreciated his great sense of humor, his deep knowledge of thermodynamics, and his patience with the less technically minded. He often marveled at the endless variety of people in the world, but he especially enjoyed connecting with them one by one. A great listener and conversationalist, he never missed the opportunity to tease those he loved. However small the interaction, he made people feel loved and appreciated and made them laugh. Dr. Gardiner was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Gardiner, and his brother, Joseph Rowe Gardiner. He is survived by his sister, Pamela Gardiner, three children, David (Salina) Gardiner, Linda (Barry) Belmonte, and Marilyn (John) Gorenflo, and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements (931) 526-6111. You may share your thoughts and memories at www.hhhfunerals.com.