Age 84 of Jackson, Michigan, passed away on Friday, February 12, 2016 at his home in Summit Township. Gail is survived by his loving wife, Marian (Ostrander) Reardon; six children, Lloyd (Susie) Reardon of Henderson, NV, Ron (Barbara Brock) Reardon of Charlotte, MI, Susan (Marty) Belleville of La Quinta, CA, Sherri (Steve) McClinchey of Atlanta, GA, Steve (Michaela) Reardon of West Bloomfield, MI and Rick (Heather) Reardon of Jackson, MI; grandchildren, Tiffany Reardon, Ryan (Nikki) Reardon, Dustin (Bethany Rankin) Reardon, Krystal (Tyger Fullerton) Reardon, Brandon (Alex McFee) McClinchey, Chad McClinchey, Taylor McClinchey, Derek (Tanya) Reardon, McKenna Reardon, Madison Reardon; Kristin and Kaitlin Brock; great-grandchildren, Mackenzie Reardon, Ellie Rankin, Haleigh Reardon, Ryder and Legion Wingart and Alexis Reardon. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his four siblings. “Gail”, also known to many as “Snuffy”, was born on County Farm Road in Parma, Michigan on July 25, 1931 to Lloyd and Nida (Chapel) Reardon. Gail graduated from Parma High School in 1949 and with his tall and very slender build, was a sports enthusiast and the star pitcher for the baseball team. He was also the lead actor in two school plays as Prince Michaels in “Redheaded Royalty from Arkansas” in his Senior Class and Tom Arsdale in “Girl Shy” in his Junior Year. He met his loving wife, Marian Ostrander, in 1956 when she pulled up to his “Gail’s Friendly Service” gas station and batted her baby blue eyes at him. It was love at first sight and they were married later that year and were at each other’s side for 59 more years. One of Gail’s goals was to have 9 kids in 9 years as he wanted to have a softball team. However, they ended up having only 6 kids in 9 years and so they had to borrow neighborhood kids to make a team! Gail was the youngest Mayor of Parma in 1959. He was known as “Mr. Parma” to many of the local citizens for his continual business and development ideas. Gail was a lifetime entrepreneur and owned the following businesses: Gail’s Friendly Service gas station and repairs, as well as several other Service Stations, Parma Party Store, Gail’s Pizza and Car Wash. His next business venture was Real Estate. Along with his wife, Marian, he opened Gail Reardon Realty, which he successfully ran for many years until it was passed on to his youngest son Rick. He stayed on and worked with Rick for many years. Gail’s outgoing personality and years of experience made him a very respected and trusted Real Estate leader. He worked every day until December 2014, side by side with his wife Marian. Gail and his family loved to relax and vacationed at their cabin on the “high banks” in Meredith, Michigan for many years. He enjoyed hunting, volleyball, horseshoes and spending time with his family. This created lifetime memories and much storytelling for all of us. His positive outlook and encouragement to others was evident in his many mantras. He always said to just… “Keep on keeping on”! He always pushed us to be our best and to be happy, always telling us to “Keep up the great work”! He lived and loved life and always put others first. He taught us how to take care of ourselves and each other in the way he lead our family and of course the impact he had on our friends and the community will never be forgotten. A Service celebrating his life will be held on Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 11am at the First Church of the Nazarene (3905 Clinton Way, Jackson, 49201 (517) 782-7084 . www.jaxnazchurch.com) The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. Gail was involved in and very passionate about the American Cancer Society. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Gail to the “The American Cancer Society”.
Chas. J. Burden & Son Funeral Home
1806 E. Michigan Ave.
Jackson, MI 49202
(517) 784-3104
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