Randy Scott Gardner

Randy S. Gardner

Hermon

08/04/1962 - 10/05/2026

Heaven just got a little rowdier, as we lost Beeps on Monday, October 5th.

45 years ago, Randy married the love of his life, Laura (Potter). They met as teenagers and have been inseparable ever since. There wasn't a dance floor around that they hadn't tore up when given the chance. They worked together and created a life from the ground up that most people only dream about. Love stories like theirs are rare and timeless, and if you were lucky enough to witness it at any point, consider yourself blessed.

He passionately protected, loved and adored his family. In addition to Laura, his daughter Nicole, and her husband, Eddie Frost, as well as grandchildren Max, Sam, and Gracie Hopkins, all of Hermon, were his entire world. They affectionately referred to him as Beeps, and the majority of their friends soon followed suit. Before we knew it, the entire town recognized him as such, and considered him their grandfather too.

He rarely missed his grandchildren's athletic events. He cheered them and all their teammates on, hoping wholeheartedly for everyone on the team to succeed. He followed them around New England during the summer, watching them play baseball and softball. He never missed a Friday Night Lights football game throughout the fall. Although he never played football, he never missed an opportunity with his buddy, Galen Deprey, to tell the refs what he thought whenever they dared to rule against Hermon.

To those outside his family, Randy was more likely known as the owner and president of Gardner Construction. Randy dedicated his entire working life to the heavy construction industry. He spent over 40 years traveling around New England building bridges, roads, and installing underground utilities, creating countless lifelong connections with friends he met along the way, including his close friend, Patrick Thibodeau. He loved the aggregate business, and we would frequently find him alone on weekends processing material in his Quarry.

Randy was fortunate to have some of the best friends around, and he found great joy in calling them to give them a hard time. He liked playing cards and telling stories with his lifelong friends, Don Harvey and Dana Graves, and he was devastated when both passed away.

He shared a special friendship with Mark Verrill and his wife, Cheryl. Spending years on family vacations together, and never missing a chance to tell the other what a disappointment they were. Only the two of them really knew how high of a compliment that actually was.

Randy grew up in Bangor, the son of Bryden and Mary Gardner, along with sisters Vicki (Gardner) and Janet (Hargus). The Gardner and Potter families grew up together, sharing many memories while attending the same schools and Church. Along with brothers-in-law, Dan and Robbie Potter, they could tell countless stories of wrecked vehicles, car chases and brawls, and Randy always made sure to give someone his opinion on their driving.

He had a special relationship with his brother- and sister-in-law, Frank and Lisa Potter, of Marshall, Virginia. Frank and Randy travelled everywhere in search of old muscle cars, and were known to ship them back and forth between Maine and Virginia to each other. Randy loved their farm in Virginia, and looked forward to spending time there. The two couples had a decade-long, ongoing Rook card game, where the men would take on the women and would argue for months about who cheated until the next time they would play again.

Randy also had a special place in his heart for Laura's best friend, Marcia (Moriarty), and thought of her as a sister.

Randy became heavily involved with the Hermon community over the last decade, and felt tremendous pride in being able to volunteer, work, and provide for the Town when he could. He considered himself on call 24/7 for whatever the Town, Schools, or Public Works may have needed, and contributed his time and resources to help with countless projects.

All those who loved him are invited to join us for a Celebration of Life at Morgan Hill Event Center in Hermon on Tuesday, October 20th at 10am. One of Randy's most favorite things to do was watch Hermon Football. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Hermon Football program, C/O Hermon High School, 2415 US Route 2, Hermon, Maine 04401.

Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.