Caroline May Gardner (Hollobaugh), 95, of Pleasant Gap, was welcomed into the arms of her Lord and Savior on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Born at home in Bellwood, PA, on May 12, 1930, she was the third born of thirteen children, to the late Porter E. and Esther M. (Knepp) Hollobaugh. She was united in marriage on August 2, 1948, in Finksburg, Maryland, to Joseph J. Gardner, who passed away in November of 2016, after observing 68 years of marriage.
Caroline was raised in the Altoona and Penns Valley areas, where her family worked on several different farms. She attended the Hollidaysburg Elementary schools and then the Boalsburg School system until leaving in the 10th grade to assist at home with the younger children.
Caroline loved her family dearly and cherished her time spent with them, as many lived out of state. She was a great cook and a meticulous housekeeper. She was even a housekeeper to several local elderly neighbors. In her earlier years, she maintained a large garden in which she canned her family’s food. She was the family barber and beautician. She had a deep and abiding faith in God and was a lifetime member of the Pleasant Gap United Methodist Church. She enjoyed watching the birds in the back yard and was a skilled photographer. Her passion was her genealogy research and keeping current records.
Caroline is survived by her children; JP Gardner of Pleasant Gap, Marie Yearick and her husband, Terry, of Spring Mills, Deborah Lucas of Pleasant Gap, and Timothy Gardner and his wife, Lisa, of Bellefonte; son in-law, Edward Stephens, of Pine Grove Mills; 18 grandchildren; 31 great grandchildren; 1 great great grandchild; 8 step great grandchildren; 1 foster great grandchild; and 3 step great great grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters, Ruth Shawver, Linda (Don) Hettinger, Jean (Dennis) Fogelman, and Susan Elliott; two sisters in-law, Patricia Hollobaugh and Pamela Hollobaugh; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, Caroline was preceded in death by an infant son; her daughter, Bonnie J. Stephens; a daughter in-law, Julia A. Gardner; a son in-law, Russell Lucas; and her siblings, George, Donald, Kenneth (Ingabore), William, Clair, and Blair Hollobaugh, Doris (Budd) Smith, and Betty (Norman) Dawson.
A viewing for Caroline will be held on Friday, April 17, 2026, from 9am – 11am at the Pleasant Gap United Methodist Church with the funeral service to be held at 11am. A graveside service will immediately follow at the Zion Union Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in her memory to the Pleasant Gap United Methodist Church Food Bank, 179 S. Main Street, Pleasant Gap, PA 16823.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Barbara Daughenbaugh Funeral Home, Inc of Centre Hall. To share memories and condolences online, please visit daughenbaughs.com.