Found out yesterday that longtime Texas skateboarder, crafter of custom Texican skateboards, and wonderful son Frank Gardner has died.
Frank is one of the many people I knew online but have not met in-person. We chatted a lot, especially when our moms were both going through dementia. Of all Frank’s accomplishments – the skating, the creativity, etc. – I will alway remember him as a son who loved his mother and was devoted to her. Frank did the really heavy lifting during those days. That kind of situation is no easy ride, and Frank handled it with love and grace. That alone made me very happy to call him friend.
After Frank’s mom died he began a new lifestyle. During the horrible Texas summer’s he’d pack up the Texicamper van and head to the cooler Pacific Northwest, where he loved skating the many excellent skateparks up there. Then he’d return home and create fantastic skateboard decks for people. He pressed his own laminate, shaped the boards, and finished them. His decks were sought-after. Fine and solid craftsmanship was inherent and obvious when you touched one. Bullet-proof.
It saddens me that our paths will not cross in the future, in some awesome and perfect drainage ditch with all our friends sessioning alongside us.
My next ride will be in memory of Frank.
