RETIREMENT PLANS … Nathan Gardner and his wife Janice plan to travel and spend time camping with the retirement of Gardner from BMU. (PHOTO PROVIDED)
By: Anna Wozniak
On March 16, 1960, Mr. And Mrs. Dale and Karen (Martin) Gardner welcomed the birth of their son, Nathan Gardner.
With all of the family working for the railroad, they thought surely that the hard working, devoted young man would join them when he graduated from Bellevue High School in 1979.
They were right! For 18 years, Nathan went to work on the railroad with his family, carrying out tasks he stated, “were focused on having a strong back instead of a strong mind.”
After 18 years of hard labor, Nathan’s life was turned upside down. While working, he seriously injured his back.
Coming from a background of devoted laborers, Nathan said he would “probably still be up climbing around the railways if that injury hadn’t forced me to open other doors.”
“What I had thought was one of the worst things to happen to me was actually one of the best, because it’s what made me look into furthering my education.”
That’s right, after having his world turned around, Nathan grabbed life by the horns and went to school for engineering at Northwest State University for almost three years.
After sharpening his mind, Nathan joined the Defiance Engineering department, where he received two promotions and stayed until their dissolution in 2004, when he joined Bryan Municipal Utilities Engineering department.
After 19 years and many promotions, Nathan Gardner is ready to “enjoy life like you’re supposed to” with his wife Janice (Olsen) Gardner and their golden retriever Cooper.
The couple plans to spend ample time with their six grandchildren and two sons, Daniel (1986) and Cody (1991) Gardner.
When not at their residence in Bryan, Ohio, Mr. and Mrs. Gardner plan to be camping and traveling, spending time with one another.
When asked what prompted his retirement, Nathan replied “it’s been a tough couple of years since the pandemic. I lost my father about a year ago and it made me realize what’s important in my life, and that’s spending time with my family.”
Anna can be reached at anna@thevillagereporter.com