Therese M. Gardner

Therese M. Gardner, age 59, of Dover, passed away Sunday, February 7, 2016, in her home, following a long illness.

Born April 6, 1956, in Dover, she was a daughter of the late Robert J. and Marjorie K. (Rufener) Kennedy. Therese graduated from Dover High School in 1974, and went on to attend Ohio University from which she graduated magna cum laude in 1978 with a B.S. in Health Education. Shortly thereafter, she began a career as a health educator for the Tuscarawas County Health Department. Therese then developed, owned and operated Eastern Alcohol Service Training (E.A.S.T.), a jail alternative for D.U.I. offenders, for more than twenty-five years. She also worked three years for Big Brothers and Big Sisters, coordinating the organization's Mentors for Families program. Additionally, Therese volunteered her time to the Mother's Club, for many years, as a member of the Football Moms.

She is survived by her loving family, which includes her husband, Greg A. Gardner, whom she married October 14, 1978, in St. Joseph Church, Dover; her sons, Zach (wife, Khala) Zeb, and Zane Gardner, all of Dover, and Zeke Gardner, with the U.S. Navy in San Diego, California; her three grandchildren, Ari, Drew and Vivianne; her sisters, Kathy (husband, Jim) Peters of Arcadia, Florida, and Jeannine Kennedy of Dover; her brother, Sean Kennedy of Guernsey, Ohio; and her many nieces, nephews and in-laws.

Besides her parents, Therese was preceded in death by her brother, Mike Kennedy.

A funeral Mass will be held Thursday, February 11, at 10:30 a.m., in St. Joseph Church, 613 N. Tuscarawas Ave., Dover, with Fr. Jimmy Hatfield officiating. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Calvary Cemetery, Dover. Following the committal, there will be a luncheon in the Toland-Herzig Monarch Center on the Boulevard in Dover. To sign an online guestbook and share a fond memory of Therese, please visit the Obituaries and Flowers link on the Toland-Herzig website.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to one's favorite charity in Therese's memory.