Rick Carwin Gardner

Rick Carwin Gardner, age 56, died peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, on October 21, 2024. Rick was born on November 23, 1967, in Holbrook, Arizona. He was the son of Carwin and Loueen and the oldest brother of Carleen, Keith, Elaina, Ryan and Logan.

Rick was raised and spent his whole life in Mesa Arizona. In his youth, he learned to play the piano and trombone, was involved in scouting and played baseball every summer. His love of music, and in particular piano and New Age music was lifelong.

In his teens, he was a member of YAC, the Mesa Library Young Adult Council, in which he read and reviewed books for young adults. His love of reading was also life long, and his reading list was endless. He especially liked science fiction and fantasy including Lord of the Rings, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Dune. He became involved in stage crew and worked in sound and light design for both Mesa and Phoenix Little Theaters. It was also in his teens that he developed an interest in computers and represented his school at the national championship of Future Business Leaders of America in computer programming. His interest in computers led to his career as a computer specialist and IT Consultant where he traveled internationally and enjoyed the opportunity to see the world and try local cuisines.

Rick married the love of his life, Suzanne Nunner, in 1995; raised four children, Chelsea Culver (Tommy), Selena, Landon (Emmy) and Collin; and enjoyed being a grandfather to his three grand “dudes”, Keegan and Kullen O’Neill and Thomas Culver V, who will miss seeing his supporting face at their JROTC events, baseball, basketball, and soccer games.

In addition to his immediate family he leaves behind his mother-in-law, Helen L. Nunner, sister-in-law, Ann M. McLemore, brother-in-law, Alois L. Nunner Jr. and many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.

He is remembered by his family and friends as a romantic who supported his wife in family history as her chauffeur, computer/technical support and travel planner. His children fondly remember his love of animals, especially cats – which he was allergic to. He rescued not only cats and birds, but also a scorpion which he named Westley in reference to the quote “Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.” from The Princess Bride. If he said he would do something, he did. He was always willing to help and showed up with a plan on how to accomplish it. He loved camping with the family and remained unruffled when things didn’t go as planned, like getting two flat tires on the same trip and having everything get soaked in a torrential downpour that flooded the whole camp site, including clothes and sleeping bags. Ever a fan of having fun, he loved playing games of all types – card, board, or computer games. He even participated in a “play by mail” game.

Rick liked to collect and try many new recipes. He had a collection of cookbooks and loved fresh chopped jalapeños and spicy food (the hotter, the better) but his favorite was ice cream. Another fond memory his kids had was when the freezer broke. Instead of being upset or angry, he took out all of the ice cream, called the kids together, handed them all a spoon and said that the most important thing was to not let the ice cream go to waste!

Rick was preceded in death by his mother, Loueen Gardner and father-in-law Alois L. Nunner.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 11:00 am at 933 E. Brown Rd., Mesa followed by a Celebration of Life at the same location at 12:00 (noon.) Rick always loved a good potluck, so please bring your favorite dish and a story to share about him and join us in celebrating him.

A tribute video has been created by the family: https://www.tributeslides.com/videos/embedded_video/LHMDC4DJYL722TLZ

Arrangements by Bunker’s University Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.