ERTMAN, Gardner of Lexington, formerly of Wellesley, passed away of vascular dementia on January 2, 2018 at Brookhaven at Lexington. Gardner was born in Boston on December 21, 1928, the second son of Clarence and Thalia (Marion) Ertman of Kingston, Massachusetts. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary Jane, and his children Eric (Carlie Wells), Anne (Alan Chen), Susie (Forest Reinhardt), Martha (Karen Lash), and Andrew (Margarita Collantes), as well as 10 grandchildren, a brother Willis (Carol), and nieces and nephews. After graduating from Cornell University's architecture program, he served as a first lieutenant in the Army Air Force. In 1953, he used an Eidlitz Fellowship to study architecture at the College of Art in Edinburgh. In 1954, Gardner began a seventeen year career with Carl Koch in Boston, where he was the chief designer. During this time he won the Rotch Traveling Scholarship and spent another year in Europe with his young family. Other prizes included the "European Home of the Future" and the "Morton Arboretum" awards. He and Mary Jane raised their family in a home he designed in Wellesley, which was featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. In 1973, Gardner and Fritz Day formed their own partnership, Day and Ertman, designing houses, apartment buildings, and for independent schools such as Millbrook, Avon Old Farms, Brooks School, and Hotchkiss. In addition, he designed the Wellesley and Hingham Public Libraries. He was a member of the Boston Society of Architects and Wellesley's Permanent Building Committee, Society of Artists, Tennis Association, and Unitarian Church. He loved sports, played tennis, and coached Little League baseball and soccer. Gardner also enjoyed music and played the cello, guitar, and banjo. He loved his golden retrievers, and often walked with them around Lake Waban and threw the tennis ball for them at Warren School. After retiring, Gardner enjoyed painting with a group at the Danforth Museum. His favorite subjects were his children and grandchildren, and local landscapes and houses. His many paintings hang in the homes of his wife and children.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, January 7, from 2-4 pm in the Club Room at Brookhaven, 1010 Waltham Street, Lexington. Memorial donations can be made to the Brookhaven Employee Scholarship Fund.