Booth Gardner Memorial

Many Washingtonians, and many in Tacoma, were saddened to hear of the passing of Washington’s former governor, Booth Gardner last week. Born in Tacoma in 1936, Gardner passed away March 15 at his Tacoma home at the age of 76 from complications of Parkinson’s disease.

Gardner served Tacoma and Washington as Pierce County Executive, Washington State Senator, and for two terms as the 19th governor of Washington State. The Daily Index has a nice review of a 2010 biography of Gardener that covers the former governor’s life from early days, through the “Booth Who?” campaign of his first run for governor, and into his later years fighting Parkinsons and advocating for assisted suicide.

If you’d like to pay your respects, a public memorial service for Gardner will be held in Tacoma on Saturday, March 30 at 11:00 a.m. at the University of Puget Sound.