Charles Lee Gardenhire, 86, went to be with the Lord on October 8, 2021. He was born on November 18, 1934 in Lakeview, Texas, to Garland Hubert and Beatrice Jackson Gardenhire. He was the youngest of four children. The family moved to Estelline, Texas in 1938, where they had a cotton farm and later a dairy. He graduated with honors from Estelline High School and attended Amarillo Junior College where he met his future wife, Shirley Sue Price. They were married on June 25, 1955, at First Baptist Church in Vega, Texas, and were married for 66 years. They finished their education at West Texas State University in Canyon, Texas in 1957. They then moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico where Charles worked at the Physical Science Labratory at New Mexico State University for 35 years. Some of those years were spent at White Sands Missile Range. Sue taught school at Mesilla Park Elementary for 31 years. Charles was a member of First Baptist Church of Las Cruces, and a past president of The Boy's Club of Las Cruces. Charles and Sue have one son, Kenneth Lee Gardenhire, of Las Cruces. Charles loved people and always enjoyed visiting with friends and family. He was a great story teller and will be remembererd for extending the life of all mechanical things by his immense knowledge and skilled ingenuity. He never got rid of anything that still had a purpose. Charles was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, Billie Ruth Gardenhire and Erma Dean Gardenhire Waters, and a brother, Garland Gene Gardenhire. He is survived by his wife, Sue, son Ken, two nieces, Johnadean Waters and Gayle Claiborn, and three nephews, Emory Waters, and Terry and Alan Gardenhire and many other family members and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to The Boy's Club of Las Cruces or First Baptist Church of Las Cruces Building Fund. A viewing is scheduled for Tuesday October 19, from 5pm-7pm at La Paz-Graham's Funeral Home, 555 W. Amador. The memorial will be held on Wednesday October 20, at 10am also at La Paz-Graham's Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens Cemetery. To sigh the online guest book visit www.lapaz-grahams.com