Elizabeth V. "Betty" Gardner

Elizabeth V. “Betty” Gardner, 90, of Carlisle, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, at the Sarah A. Todd Memorial Home where she resided for the past eighteen months.
She was born February 20, 1931, in Carlisle to the late Herbert L. and Romaine J. (Weaver) Lear.
Betty was a 1949 graduate of Boiling Springs High School and later attended Dickinson College, where she earned her LPN nursing degree. As a nurse, she worked at the Carlisle Hospital, a family medical practice, for an orthopedic surgeon, and for several ophthalmology doctors’ offices.
Elizabeth loved music. In high school she played clarinet and participated in state band concerts. She sang lead roles in her high school operettas and was a dedicated member of her church’s Chancel Choir. Elizabeth was an active member of the Carlisle Musical Arts Society and the Cumberland County Historical Society, where she and her late husband George were instrumental in establishing the Gardner Digital Library. Betty served in the Carlisle Hospital Auxiliary and was a lifelong member of First United Church of Christ.
She is survived by two loving daughters, Phyllis Finnegan and Victoria (husband Greg) Wonders; five grandchildren, Sean (wife Stephanie) Finnegan, Shannon (husband Matthew) Grant, Meaghean (husband David Patterson) Finnegan, Elizabeth (husband Trey) Saleeby, and Jonathan Wonders; seven great-grandchildren; one brother, Blaine Lear; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Betty also leaves behind seven stepchildren, Cindy Kilgore, David (wife Chaesuk) Gardner, Mary (husband Mark) Adams, Michael (wife Paula) Gardner, Nancy (husband Morris) Margolis, Jennifer (husband Gary) Dunn, and Jon (wife Lorna) Gardner; seventeen step-grandchildren; and twelve step-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by husbands, Henry E. Nelson, and George F. Gardner; one brother, Marlin Lear; a son-in-law, Anthony Finnegan; a stepdaughter, Elaine (and her husband Lee) Baker; and a stepson-in-law, Jim Kilgore.
A private graveside service will be held at the convenience of the family.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory, 2020 West Trindle Road Carlisle, PA 17013.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of donations to United Church of Christ Homes Benevolent Fund, 30 N. 31st Street Camp Hill, PA 17011; First United Church of Christ, 30 N. Pitt Street Carlisle, PA 17013; or to the charity of your choice.
To sign the guestbook, please visit www.HoffmanFH.com.