Dorothy Jean (Howard) Gardner, 79, Ava, MO, died Sunday, March 14, 2010, of heart failure at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Springfield, MO.
Mrs. Gardner was born Aug. 18, 1930, in Howards Ridge, MO the only daughter of Paul and Zora Baxter Howard, who also had six sons. The Howards were part of the family for which Howards Ridge was named.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, March 19, 2010, at Howards Ridge Cemetery, following visitation from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Friday at Clinkingbeard Funeral Home, Gainesville, MO.

In 1949 she married Theodore Raymond Gardner in St. Louis; together they lived in various parts of the country as well as in Germany until he retired in 1964 after serving 20 years in the Army.
At the end of her husband's military career, and during their retirement, they lived in San Pedro, Calif., and Mrs. Gardner was employed for many years at nearby Disneyland, where she worked primarily with the housekeeping department.
She is survived by her seven children, including four sons: Kenneth Gardner, Dennis Gardner and wife Sue, all of Phoenix, Leonard Gardner and wife Vicki of Austin, Texas, Bennett Gardner of San Pedro, Calif., and three daughters: Linda Crites, and husband Douglas, of Churchill, Md., Theresa Evans and husband Murrill of Selbyville, Del., and Deborah Vandenboom and husband Don of Orange City, Fla.; 16 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.
In 1993, she moved back to Missouri, settling near Ava to help care for a great-uncle, Bartie Baxter, who died in 2008.
Soon after moving back to the Ozarks, she became actively involved in the Ozark County Genealogical and Historical Society and served as its vice president. She spent many hours helping to organize records housed in the history room of the Ozark County Library, working alongside former OCGHS president Rhonda Herndon.
"She would leave her home west of Ava and drive the 50 miles to Gainesville almost every Thursday," Rhonda said. "She said at Disneyland they told her to greet everyone she met, and she did that to the end. When we met and talked with people, she would mention the OCG S and tell them about our library, invite them to come see us and join the society."
OCGHS newsletter editor Mary Sparks credited a lot of the ideas for stories in the Old Mill Run to Dorothy. "But for her, I would not have known that OCGHS had a copy of Isaac Howard's diary or Mr. Hobbs's thesis about the singing schools and singing conventions. If I ever needed background information on something, I could call Dorothy, and she would gather the material from the history library, copy it and send it to me.
Sue Ann Jones recalled that anytime Dorothy attended a meeting where some kind of project was mentioned, "the people involved in that project could expect to receive an envelope of historical information related to it that Dorothy had gleaned from the files in the history room. I remember in particular a time when someone was talking about applying for a grant that needed a link to transportation needs. A day or two later, here came a file of papers and photocopied pictures that Dorothy had compiled of the history of Ozark County's roads and byways. She was amazing."
OCGHS member Janet Taber said that when she thinks of Dorothy, she remembers "her willingness to help anyone in searching for their Ozark County roots. She was proud of her own connection to Howards Ridge, and she was proud of Ozark County's rich history. But the most memorable thing about Dorothy, for me, was her big, sincere smile! She was a true and dedicated friend to OCGHS and will be missed greatly."

Memorial gifts may be made to the Ozark County Historium, a nonprofit corporation being formed by the Ozark County Genealogical and Historical Society and the Ruby Robins Trust for the Preservation of Local History. Memorial gifts can be left at Clinkingbeard Funeral home or mailed to P.O. Box 4, Gainesville, MO 65655.
Clinkingbeard Funeral Home, Gainesville, MO, directors.