Anita Grace Hawkins was born December 4, 1929, in Mountain View, Stone County, Arkansas. She was married on July 29, 1950 at Mountain Home, then Marion County, Arkansas, to William Pringle Gardiner who was born October 8, 1922 in North Middleton, County of Midlothian, Scotland. Bill died August 20, 1994 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Washington D.C. Bill had cancer.

CHILDREN:
A. Dr. James Estes Gardiner, born July 3, 1952, in Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas. Jim has a Bachelor of Science degree from Johns Hopkins University and his M.D. from the Medical College of Virginia. He married Mary Magdelene Gallagher, born January 6, 1955 in Flushing, New York, on July 1, 1979 in North Tarrytown, Westchester County, New York.

         1. Phillip Andrew Gardiner, born September 21, 1985, in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia.
         2. Daniel James Gardiner, born December 4, 1986, in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia.
         3. Elizabeth Ann Gardiner, born October 4, 1990 in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia.

B. Jane Elizabeth Gardiner, born July 28, 1954, at West Point, Orange County, New York. Jane has a Bachelor of Science degree in speech and audiology from Madison College and a Masters of Hearing Disorders from James Madison University. Jane married Michael Guy Midnight, born November 10, 1953 in Rochester, Monroe County, New York, on July 23, 1985, in Virginia Beach, Isle of Wight County, Virginia. They were divorced in 1996.

          1. Matthew Tyler Midnight, born May 2, 1987, in Virginia Beach, Isle of Wight County, Virginia.
          2. Garrett William Midnight, born February 1, 1989, in Virginia Beach, Isle of Wight County, Virginia.

C. Joan Ellen Gardiner, born April 28, 1958 in Kenton, Hardin County, Ohio. Joan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from James Madison University. Joan married Daniel Glen Lonergan, born January 29, 1958 in Camp Pendleton, San Diego County, California on July 27, 1982 at Fort Belvoir, Prince William County, Virginia. They were divorced in 1997 and Joan remarried in September of the same year to William Baker.

         1. Kelly Marie Lonergan, born March 30, 1988
         2. Kyle Patrick Lonergan, born October 22, 1992.
         3. Eric Baker, born July 4, 1999.

Anita writes of her childhood, "Your Mother (Mary) and I were involved with this one. She was still too young to go to school, but we (us schoolers) were allowed to bring visitors on certain days. So on this day, Mary had gone to school with me. It was when we lived in Des Arc, Arkansas. Somehow, the two of us got a little too enthusiastic about being together that day, misbehaved in some way and wound up having to go stand behind the piano as punishment." "Another story -- Granny had a cellar under the house where she stored the canned fruit and vegetables each year. In the summer, there was a couple of inches of water on the floor and it was cold as ice. So we kids used to go down there and wade in our bare feet. This one particular day, apparently one of the canning jars had fallen off and broken and pieces of glass were in the water unbeknownst to me. I was wading away enjoying it immensely when I stepped on a piece of glass and cut my foot on the arch, which is a rather fatty part of the foot. After the bleeding subsided, I could see the fatty tissue through the cut. I ran into Granny and said, 'Oh Granny, look. The stuffing is coming out of my foot.' "