Jayne R Soderholm Gardner

A Graveside Service for Jayne R. (Soderholm) Gardner will be held on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at the Prairie Home Cemetery at Holdrege, Nebraska with Mr. Mike S. Bott officiating.

Jayne Rose Gardner, age 67, died suddenly and unexpectedly at her Los Lunas, New Mexico, home on December 20, 2021.  Her life was a mixture of global experience and local commitment.  She was born on November 5, 1954, in Sidney, Nebraska, the eldest daughter of Harvey and Joyce Soderholm.  When Harvey returned from his service in the Navy, he farmed in the Holdrege area and would bring baby rabbits home from the field for Jayne to play with.

Harvey and Joyce soon joined The Navigators, an international Christian organization dedicated to the goal, "To know Christ, and to make Him known."  Jayne came to know Christ personally at Vacation Bible School.  There she heard about the reality of hell, and understood that her sins separated her from God.  She trusted that Jesus Christ was the Son of God who died for sin and rose from the dead, and she prayed and asked Jesus into her life.  She lived her adult life committed to Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Bible as the Word of God.

Growing up Jayne lived in Nebraska, Maryland, California, Colorado, Germany, and Australia.  In Australia she graduated from high school and worked in medical records administration at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.  It was also in Australia that she met a young American college student named David R. Gardner doing Bible study with her father.  They would later share an Australian summer wedding and were married for almost 43 years.

The couple returned to the United States and lived in Georgia and Missouri before moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, so David could earn his Doctorate Degree.  Jayne worked at Lincoln General Hospital for a short time, but much preferred being a mother when her son Jonathan was born in 1986.  After he earned his Doctorate Degree, David was hired by a national security laboratory and the family moved to New Mexico, where Jayne would live for the rest of her life.

In New Mexico, Jayne's daughter Joanna was born, and she became a homeschool mom.  Teaching was part of her life, whether it was meeting in Bible study with young women in Australia, teaching a children's Sunday school class with her husband at the Community Bible Church of Los Lunas, or training volunteers in how to keep an eye on Valencia County elections.  Jayne not only supported her children academically, she led Bible studies with other homeschool families, took her son to Chess Tournaments, and attended all of her daughter's volleyball and basketball games.

Jayne became more involved in local politics later in life.  She walked into a Republican Party county convention and walked out as the county party secretary.  She steadfastly supported her husband when he was county party chair.  Jayne was strongly pro-life, which was reflected in her support for the local crisis pregnancy center.  She had a passion for ensuring elections were conducted according to the legal rules, and spent hours watching as ballots were cast and counted.

Jayne was preceded in death by her father, Harvey Soderholm; her mother-in-law, Leonor Gardner; along with many relatives in the Soderholm and Juelfs families.

Jayne is survived by her husband David R. Gardner; two children:  one son, Jonathan Gardner; and one daughter, Joanna Gardner, all of Los Lunas, New Mexico; her mother, Joyce Soderholm of Lincoln, Nebraska; father-in-law and step-mother-in-law:   Douglas and Inara Gardner of St. Louis, Missouri; two sisters, Marian Thomsen of Hudson, Ohio, along with her family; and Pam Soderholm of Lincoln, Nebraska; sister-in-law, Cindy Cameron of Donvale, Victoria, Australia, along with her family; brother-in-law, Howard Gardner of Round Rock, Texas, along with his family; in addition to many cousins in the Holdrege area and across Nebraska.

Jayne loved Jesus.  She cared for people.  She is, and will be, sorely missed.  She will be laid to rest in the Prairie Home Cemetery, near the grave of her father, Harvey Soderholm.

A memorial has been established in Jayne's honor, and kindly suggested to the family for later designation.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements.