Alfred Joseph Gartner, 78, of Harrisburg, died, surrounded by his family, June 26 in Penn State Health, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, in Hershey, Pa. He had been suffering from extended illnesses for many months.
Son of Joseph M. and Kathleen (Bishop) Gartner, he was born Nov. 23, 1945, in Philadelphia. He was a 1963 graduate of Springfield High School in Delaware County.
A Vietnam Era veteran, he served nearly seven years in the U.S. Navy as a Polaris missile technician mostly on the submarine tender U.S.S. Hunley (AS 31) stationed on Guam.
After his service in the Navy, he was employed by NASA on Guam then IBM in Philadelphia, Boulder, Colo. and Mechanicsburg, Pa. Later in life he was employed by the U.S. Postal system in the Harrisburg area.
He was a member of the American Legion Post 998, Lawnton, Pa.
He was an avid motorcycle enthusiast, lovingly maintained a 1975 BMW R90 and rode it to rallies across the U.S. annually. He also taught motorcycle safety courses in the Harrisburg area.
He is survived by three children, Megan and Michael Gartner both of Harrisburg, Ashley Wargo of New Cumberland and grandchildren, Jaylin Gartner and Idris Lindsay of Harrisburg. He also is survived by a sister, Elaine E. Campbell of Honeybrook, Pa., nephew, Rich Campbell and niece, April Campbell.
A Visitation will be from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Thursday, July 11, 2024 in the Neill Funeral Home, 3501 Derry Street, Harrisburg followed by a reception from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Thursday at the Lawnton American Legion Post 998, 4700 Derry St., Harrisburg.
Interment will be held at a later date at Whitemarsh Memorial Park in Ambler, Pa.
