Harriet Gardiner

Harriet Orth Gardiner, 93, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 2, 2015, attended by family, at Homewood at Crumland Farms, Frederick, Maryland. Born at Sandy Hill Farm near Frederick on May 9, 1922, she was the daughter of the late Henry Jewett Orth Jr and Harriet Cunningham Orth. For sixty-five years she was the wife of the late Clement E. Gardiner III.

Harriet graduated from St. Anne's School (now St. Anne's-Belfield School) in Charlottesville VA in 1940, and then studied at The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, graduating in 1943. She was awarded an Alumni Achievement Award by MICA in 1996 recognizing her life-long contributions to the arts.

She married Clement Edward Gardiner III on July 29, 1944. The couple raised four sons at Auburn, an 1805 Neo-Georgian mansion that had been in Mr. Gardiner’s family for generations. After moving to Auburn in 1961, Harriet and Clem spent thousands of hours over three decades updating and renewing their home to its historical splendor.

Harriet was a lifetime member of the Catoctin Episcopal Parish, Harriet Chapel, where she was a volunteer for over 50 years. She was a mainstay of the flower guild and a vestry member for many years. She was deeply involved with the Frederick arts community; she was a founding member of the Fredrick Arts Center Foundation, the organization responsible for creating the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center; she belonged to The Garden Club of Frederick for decades, where she was President for several terms, was awarded a lifetime membership, and won many flower arrangement awards. For many years Harriet was on the Board of Directors of the Record Street Home, a member of the Fredrick County Mental Health Advisory Committee, and a member of the Historical Society of Frederick County. She also was an officer for the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society. She enjoyed art in all forms, such as painting, the decorative arts, and landscape gardening.

In addition to her husband, Harriet was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Henry J. Orth III and sister Edith O. Hanlon; and her son David B. Gardiner.

She is survived by sons Clement E. Gardiner IV, Christopher O. Gardiner, and Alexander M. Gardiner, all of Thurmont; grandchildren Lalena J. Rose (husband Daniel) of Winchester OH, Clement E. Gardiner V (wife Dr. Grace Pak) of Seattle WA, and Laura E. Gardiner of New York, NY; numerous nieces and nephews; and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 2, 2016 at Harriet Chapel, 12625 Catoctin Furnace Rd, Thurmont Maryland. The Reverend Sally Joyner Giffin will officiate. Interment of Harriet’s ashes in the church’s memorial garden will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, 40 S Carroll St, Frederick, Maryland  21701, to the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, 12320 Auburn Road, Thurmont, Maryland  21788, or to Harriet Chapel, 12625 Catoctin Furnace Road, Thurmont, Maryland 21788.

Expressions of sympathy may be offered to the family at www.staufferfuneralhome.com.