Joan Embser Gardner

Wellsville, NY - Joan Embser Gardner, lifelong resident of Wellsville, died peacefully on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 in her home, after a brief illness.

Born Nov. 10, 1930, Joan was the daughter of Walter J. and Katherine O’Brien Embser.  On April 25, 1953, she married David F. Gardner at Immaculate Conception in Wellsville.  They were blessed with their children Kate and her husband Brooks Chandler, Charlie and his wife Penny, Tim and his wife Renee, Dan and his wife Carol, Walter, Brien, Anne and her husband Fred Collins, Heidi Brown, 19 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.  Joan is also survived by her sisters-in-law Mary and Marilyn, several nieces, nephews, special cousins and lifelong friends. Joan was predeceased by her husband Dave in 2011, her parents and her brothers W. Joseph and J. Timothy Embser.

Joan attended Wellsville High School, Marygrove College in Detroit and Alfred State where she and Dave met. Joan was a member of Immaculate Conception Church where she belonged to the Altar Rosary Society.  She practiced her faith inside and outside of Church.  Joan was a homemaker, known for her chocolate cake and sugar cookies.  The “Matron of Meadowbrook Court” she was also a member of the Red Hat Society, Monday Club and former member of the Wellsville Country Club.  Joan was an accomplished and award-winning horsewoman.  In recent years, she was an avid bridge player, playing five days a week, and enjoyed Friday evening dinners with her lifelong friends.

Friends are invited to call on Friday from 2-4 and 7-9 pm at the J.W. Embser Sons Funeral Home, 34 W. State Street in Wellsville. The Altar and Rosary Society will gather to pray the rosary on Friday at 3:45 pm at the funeral home. Friends are invited to call again on Saturday, December 6, 2014 from 12:30 to 1:00 pm at the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday at 1:30 pm at the Immaculate Conception Church in Wellsville. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Hart Comfort House, 141 East State St.; Immaculate Conception School, 24 Maple Avenue or the David A. Howe Public Library, 155 North Main Street, all in Wellsville, NY 14895. To leave online condolences, please visit www.embserfuneralhome.com.