Andrea Gardner's Life & Legacy

Andrea (Andi) Gardner left this world with the calm and grace she exuded her entire life. She was a woman who's generosity had no limits. Her time, guidance, tools, empathy, creativity and warm meals were always abundant and at the ready for anyone needing a helping hand. Her passing  punctuates the need for all of us to find our inner "Andi" and continue to spread kindness without expectation or recognition. In honor of her life,  Andrea's family has asked that no flowers, gifts or food be sent, as they have been blessed with a life of abundance. Rather, the Gardners would love to keep her memory alive through this fund that will be dedicated to creating a memorial for her, as well as supporting local charities and causes that she believed in.

In the summer of 2018, the last of Andrea's beloved hundred foot tall pine trees fell on her home, piercing her roof, dislodging 130 year old masonry and sweeping her deck off of her home.  Like any sudden and shocking change, she took it in stride, admiring the process of repair and re-envisioning her favorite kitchen view. She asked the arborist to leave the 30' stump with plans to giving that tree trunk a second act. For two years she contemplated its design and during the final months of her life she finalized her idea in what she described as a "notion of a tree". A mix of raw timber and ironworks, she saw a way to make the tree an artistic expression of nature that could be shared with the neighborhood. Andrea referenced her own mother's curbside, which she transformed into a petite park equipped with a reflecting bench for passersby to enjoy. She wanted to create beauty and share it with the people around her. 

Using her spirit for inspiration and her vision as a guide, the Gardner Family hopes to bring her "notion of a tree" to life with your help. The family will be splitting the donations between Andrea's tree and other local charitable organizations she spent her adult life supporting. Please join the Gardners in furthering her quiet mission of spreading beauty and empathy with others.

She worried about the suffering of others and cared deeply about women and families and the struggles of those less fortunate than she was. Andi was so troubled by these difficult times, but remained hopeful for what was to come. In her final conversation with her doctor she asked if she would live long enough to see the Biden/Harris inauguration. Despite her illness, she continued to share optimism and always found things to look forward to, even if only for others. We hope you will join her family in supporting Andrea's values and allow her spirit and memory to live on by making the lives of those in her beloved Saratoga Springs just a little bit better.