Lewis Gardner of Lake Hill, NY, beloved husband of Sandra Gardner for 51 years, father of Jonathan Gardner and daughter-in-law Katrina Gardner, stepfather to Barbara Platek and Art Lustgarten, stepfather to Brenda Tobias, grandfather to Rebecca Lustgarten, passed away on August 3, 2020.
He was a graduate of Wilmington High School, Wilmington, Massachusetts, Columbia University and the University of Chicago. Lewis served in the Peace Corps in Liberia. He was a high school English teacher, an editor at Scholastic Corporation, and worked in hospital and university administration, including at SUNY/Ulster.
Lewis taught the writing class at the Woodstock Senior Recreation Department. He volunteered at the Woodstock Library Fair and he was a member of the R.O.M.E.O.s (Retired Old Men Eating Out), a local men’s social group.
Lewis was a published poet. He was a member of the Dramatists’ Guild, and was the author of many plays that have been performed and published worldwide. In addition, he acted in theater, television and film productions. He was the co-author of “Children of the Wild” and the author of “Lunch at the Live Bait Diner.”
The family hopes to have a memorial at some point in the future.
In his last days, Lewis composed this message to be conveyed: To all who have been a part of my life, thank you. We knew there were limits to our memories. There should be fewer limits.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Woodstock Rescue Squad, 85 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY 12498.
Arrangements are under the guidance of Lasher Funeral Home Inc. 100 Tinker Street Woodstock, NY.
Condolences, tributes and photos may be left for Lewis’s family by visiting www.lasherfh.com.
Join the family! 
