My older sister and I were looking through some pics of Dad for the notice and I came across one from last year when we went fishing at Lake Fulmor. He was an amazing man. He served in the Navy during the Korean War, rode a Harley with some of the original wild bunch, met my mom while driving an Ice Cream truck and bringing HER mother a "borrowed" watermelon, and then married my mom during President Eisenhower's last year in the White House. He watched the Dodgers move from Brooklyn to L.A. and then cheered them on when they swept their old Yankee-Nemesis in the '63 World Series. For a while, he drove an old panel-wagon that had the coolest "aooga" horn, owned and rode a horse that he appropriately named "Stud," and sat on the porch in the summer with his kids while telling them wonderful stories and teaching me how to throw using unripe plums. He owned Chevys, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, and once upon a time a 1940 Ford pickup. He had back surgery, heart surgery, lung surgery and colon surgery, and every time that he recovered, went right back to working just as hard as he always had. He loved fishing, baseball, football, playing poker, and even hit it big a few times at the casino. He would do anything possible for his kids and grandchildren and he was committed in his marriage to my mom Diana for over 52 years. He is William Martin Gartner, born January 24 1934, went on to be with the Lord February 17 2013, my Dad, and the most amazing man I have ever known.
