Carol A. Gardner-Tesar

Published April 05, 2019 at 3:14 PM

Carol Gardner-Tesar, age 90, of Fargo, ND passed away on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at Bethany Retirement Living, Fargo. Carol Gardner-Tesar was born to Otto and Ethel (Rueckert) Schulz on March 30, 1929 in Grey Eagle, MN. Carol spent her early school years in a one room school house before she went to the big city of Melrose for high school, where she played clarinet in the band. After high school, she moved to St. Cloud and went to business school and worked in an optical shop. During her time in St. Cloud, she met her first love, Dale Gardner. They married in Grey Eagle, and after a brief stay in St. Cloud, moved to Moorhead and lived above Arnberg and Rasmus Meat Packing, where they met their dear friends, Addie and Mike Rasmus. Dale was a traveling salesman, so Carol worked for an insurance company in Fargo and walked to work and home every day. When the babies started to arrive, they purchased their first home in north Moorhead and Carol became a stay-at-home Mom raising Gwen, Gayle, Gary, and Glen. After the kids were grown, they built their dream house on the Moorhead County Club and after a few years, started to enjoy retirement and travel, eventually spending winters in Corpus Christi, TX. Dale passed away in 1993. After a while, Carol met and married Vernon Tesar. They were able to travel and started wintering in Arizona and spending summers in Fargo. With Carol’s four children and Vern’s six children, they had lots of family to visit and spend time with. Vernon passed away in 2015. In 2016, Carol moved to Bethany on 42nd and has had amazing staff and other residence make her days enjoyable. Carol is survived by her daughters, Gwen (Greg) Baden and Gayle (Larry) Henry; sons, Gary Gardner and Glen (Jeanie) Gardner; six grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. Carol is preceded in death by her parents; husbands, Dale Gardner and Vernon Tesar; and sister, Joyce Stump. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Ethos Home Care and Hospice. Visitation will be from 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. followed by the memorial service at 10:00 A.M. on Monday, April 8, 2019, at Wright Funeral Home, Moorhead, MN. Video tribute and online guestbook at www.wrightfuneral.com.