Charles Sammy Gardner

Charles Sammy Gardner, 72, of Bainbridge, GA, passed away Wednesday, September 21, 2022.

The funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 25, 2022, at Bryant Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Corey McMickle officiating. Interment will follow at Cool Springs Cemetery with Landon Faulkner, Ladon Gardner, Van Smith, Jason Murray, Stuart Suber, Dale Murray, Doyle Womack, Todd Hand, and Doug Ray serving as pallbearers. Casual attire requested.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 24, 2022, at Bryant Funeral Home. Online visitors may sign the guest register at www.bryantfuneralga.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Cool Springs Cemetery Fund, C/O Donna Estes, 609 Old Faceville Road, Bainbridge, GA 39819.

Charles Sammy Gardner was born January 24, 1950, in Bainbridge, GA, the son of Vern & Betty Leverette Gardner. He was a graduate of Bainbridge High School, Class of 1968. He attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and served in the Army National Guard. Sammy worked for H&E Equipment. He was Baptist by faith.

A 72-year-old mama's boy, Sammy was spoiled rotten. He didn't mind hard work but enjoyed farming (which he didn't always consider work) even more. He had a quick wit and a sharp tongue. If he thought it, he said it. If he liked you, you knew it. (If he didn't, you knew that too.) Sammy loved BIG and shared that love in his own way. He teased constantly, especially the grandchildren he adored, and always lamented he was "broke" though he was never without a supply of Sprite and paper towels. Sammy was meticulous about EVERYTHING and never late. He owned every tool imaginable and may or may not have known how to use them according to directions. He had a tough exterior and could be a little grumpy; his heart for others was evidence he was "soft" though he would never admit it.

Survivors include his children, Ashley & Kerri Gardner and Regina & Brandon Conley; his grandchildren, Abigail, Jackson, Reece, and Brenna; his mother, Betty Leverette Gardner; his brother, Windell (Brenda) Gardner; the joy of his life, Susan Dean Hand; and a host of extended family. Sammy was preceded in death by his father, Vern Gardner.