Lew Gardner, age 88, of Dataw Island South Carolina passed away peacefully on March 24, 2026. 

Born in Dundalk, Maryland, and raised in Arlington, Virginia, Lew was the only son of Wilbur and Winona Gardner. He spent his working career in Washington, D.C., with the Government Printing Office where for over 35 years he fulfilled many roles such as opening and staffing several regional procurement and printing offices across the country including San Francisco and Newport News where he resided for a few years. This led to his designation as Regional Procurement Manager of the 17 Regional Procurement Offices throughout the United States with 500 plus employees and procurements of over 500 million dollars a year. His last 20 years in the DC area were spent in rural Loudoun County on a small farm with horses and cows for neighbors, sunsets behind the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia but a comfortable commute by train to the city. 

Lew was an avid sports fan particularly when his beloved Washington Redskins were playing. His favorite sports were golf and tennis which is what brought him to the Lowcountry and Dataw Island over 20 years ago. He excelled in tennis where he was the club champion for several years running at Loudoun Golf and Country Club. He won several club tournaments on Dataw and a mixed doubles state championship in Aiken, SC. 

Lew was married to Patricia Renoll Havey in 1986. He is survived by three children from an earlier marriage : Susan Kline, Winnie Carlisle and husband Terry Carlisle, John Lewis Gardner and wife Alicia Winnifred Gardner, sisters Norma Booker and Jinny Johnson along with 10 grandchildren and 18 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his youngest son, Douglas Andrew Gardner.

Copeland Funeral Service is assisting the Gardner family with arrangements.