Wayland Downing Gardner, age 93, was born May 16, 1928, in Elgin, the second child of Arthur C. and Bernice (Downing) Gardner.
He graduated from high school in Crete in 1946 and continued at Doane College in Crete. While in college, he and his brother, Frank, operated a photo studio and retail establishment. Wayland graduated from Doane College in 1950 and received a Masters Degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1951. In 1953, he married Suzanne Roop of Wichita, Kansas, while on active duty with the army and later served in Korea. He taught economics at North Dakota State University in Fargo, where their daughters Jan and Elaine arrived. In 1964, he joined the economics faculty at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where sons Edward and Jim were born. Wayland authored a textbook on Public Finance in 1978 and co-authored a textbook on the Principles of Economics in 1984. After Wayland retired from Western Michigan University in 1997, he and Sue enjoyed their family and extensive travels. In 2012, Wayland and Sue moved to The Fountains in Kalamazoo, where he enjoyed writing and organizing his lifetime collection of photographs. Wayland died April 17, 2022, in Kalamazoo.
Wayland is survived by his beloved wife, Suzanne; and their daughters, Jan (Neil) Isaacs of East Lansing, Michigan, and Elaine (Barry) Hausmann of Sudbury, Massachusetts; sons, Edward (Natalie) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, James (Joy) of Kalamazoo; and six grandchildren, Allie Gardner, Rachel Hausmann, Wayland R. Gardner, Sarah Hausmann, Grey Gardner and Ingrid Gardner. Wayland died April 17, 2022 in Kalamazoo.
A Life Story Service has been held. Memorial contributions are suggested to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Melanoma Research Alliance or to a charity of the donor's choice. Condolences may be left for the family online at BetzlerLifeStory.com.
