Rev. Dewey "Bud" E. Gardner

Rev. Dewey E. (Bud) Gardner was 90 years old when he entered the Presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on May 17, 2021 after a life of ministry in the Kingdom of God.  He died in Edmond, Oklahoma.  He was born April 3, 1931 to Leonard Preston Gardner and Aler (McMichael) Gardner in Waynesboro, Mississippi.  He was one of ten children, five boys and five girls.  Although from a materially poor family, he enjoyed an early family life of hunting and fishing.  Along with his siblings he learned the value of hard work early in life.

Bud joined the Navy after high school and served as a gunner's mate aboard an LSD in the Korean War.  Returning home, he married Lecta M. (Boggan) and began a family.  He earned his undergraduate degree from East Texas Baptist College in Marshall, Texas and entered the ministry.  He pastored small churches in South Texas and Mississippi, while also working in a plant or as a carpenter to make ends meet.  To most people he was known as Brother Bud.  

He moved to San Antonio, Texas in 1968 to be pastor of Gateway Baptist Church.  He served on several committees of ministers organizing ministry events like the Billy Graham Crusade at Alamo Stadium in 1968.  He served as an associate pastor with Pastor John Hagee at The Church of Castle Hills.  He went on to found Faith Outreach Center International in 1981, serving as Senior Pastor until his retirement.  He continued teaching, mentoring, counseling, and ministering to others.  He authored several books during his ministry and continued to write throughout the pandemic.  His life’s calling was to introduce people to the message of Christ and teach them to study the Word of God for themselves.  

Brother Bud was a humble person who took great joy in helping others be successful.  He was a man who worked with his hands building church buildings and homes with great skill in many places.  But his great love was in teaching others to pursue ever deepening relationships with God, His Word, and other members of the Body of Christ.  His work deeply affected many lives and through them will continue to impact generations not yet born.   The seed has been sown.  Only the Lord of the Harvest can know the full results.

Brother Bud was preceded in death by his parents, two of his siblings and his second wife, Donna.  He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Lynda, his three children, Doug (Tracy), Robert, and Annette (Randy), 2 stepdaughters (Debbie and Patty), twelve grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, seven siblings, and nieces, nephews, and cousins scattered far and wide.  We celebrate his life and significant contributions to humanity.  He was a great man to have as a father, is greatly loved, and will be missed for a long time.  But, we will see him again. 

Funeral services will be held in Lawton, Oklahoma at noon on June 1, 2021 at Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home.  In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Faith Outreach Center International.

The Teacher’s Heart of Hearts

The teacher’s beating heart begins before his day of birth

And marks Time’s passage to his Final hour;

But somewhere in his journey there across the spinning Earth

He finds there is a greater source of power.

In patiently explaining then to others what he’s learned

He finds he does not lose what he imparts.

In passionately giving and the joy that is returned

He finds what feeds the teacher’s heart of hearts.

To share the seeds of Knowledge and the promise of its fruit;

See Understanding spark its raging fires;

Witness the birth of Wisdom and life spent in its pursuit;

Is what the teacher’s heart of hearts desires.

He thus becomes a lifeline, both feeding and being fed.

He learns to see beyond what merely is;

Experiences a lifetime leading and being led;

Finds nurture in Faith’s hopeful promises.  

He labors ‘til the days grow short, with undiminished love,

For harvests he knows he can never own.

His beating heart will cease but not the timeless power of

The teacher’s heart of hearts. It will live on!

So share the seeds of Knowledge and the promise you believed.

In Understanding, value what is true.

Lead others on to Wisdom’s path. Give what you have received.

The teacher’s heart of hearts now lives in you.

                        Doug Gardner

Do Not Weep for Me

Do not weep for me,

I am released and now may fly.

I have fulfilled my mortal destiny.

And though a little while I may be absent from your side,

I am contented.  Do not weep for me. 

Do not weep for me,

You who remain upon the field.

For you still struggle with the enemy

No longer into battle must I  carry sword and shield.

My fight is finished.  Do not weep for me.

Do not weep for me,

My craft returns now to its shore.

My nets have known the blessings of the sea.

And having tasted fullness, I could scarcely ask for more.

My labor ceases. Do not weep for me.

Do not weep for me,

For I am dancing on the wind.

I have become what I was born to be.

Embraced by my Creator in abundance without end,

I am rejoicing.  Do not weep for me.

                        Doug Gardner 

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