Dorothy Louise Hill Gardner, an activist and educator, died on Monday June 14, 2021. Gardner was 90 years old.
She was the matriarch of her large extended family and a mentor and supporter of many aspirants, young and old.
“She knew education was a key to advancement and freedom, so she pushed it as far as possible with her children and others,” said son Charles Gardner in a statement.
This was all part of their relentless commitment to dignity and justice for their African Americans and for people in general.
“To the end, she was very passionate about the fight she dedicated her life to,” said nephew Jeffrey Hill in a statement. “She lived a full life. She walked with it as if she had spoken it. “
Gardner was born on July 3, 1930 in Philadelphia, the first child of Joseph R. Hill Sr. and Anna Louis Fulchon Hill.
With the exception of a year at Central State University, a historically black college in Wilberforce, Ohio, her education was in Philadelphia. She graduated from West Philadelphia High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Temple University, where she promised the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.
All of her life, Gardner wanted to be the change she wanted to see in the world. She attended the March on Washington with her mother in 1968, picketed the Racial Equality Congress and was an active member of the Political Alliance of Black Women.
She used her own training to serve others. She taught elementary school for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and then worked as a social worker for the city of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.
She taught adult communication skills and helped develop various programs in the Opportunities Industrialization Center. She later taught high school English for the Philadelphia School District and was Senior Center Director at the Stephen Smith Geriatric Center. She then returned to social work at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Lankenau Hospital.
Her private life was also full and rich.
She married James Gardner on June 18, 1955 and had four children. About two years ago, Gardner brought her multiple generations of relatives together to share their family history through to the time of enslavement.
Gardner was also an intrepid world traveler. Many of her stays were with friends or tour groups. But that independent spirit had no qualms about striking out on her own if there was something she wanted to see on her own. She visited five continents and 40 states and was proud to see that she had seen the highest and deepest places on earth, Mount Everest and the Dead Sea.
Gardner was a member of the Pinn Memorial Baptist Church where she served as a trustee for many years.
She is survived by the sons Gregory Paul Gardner and Charles Philip Gardner; one daughter, Joanne Marie Gardner; a brother, Joseph R. Hill; 11 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and other relatives. Her husband; a son, Kurt; and one grandson, Gregory Wright, died before her.
On July 2, the Pinn Memorial Baptist Church, 2251 N. 54th St.
Donations to the memory of Mrs. Gardner can be made to the Pinn Memorial Baptist Church Scholarship Fun at the church at 2251 N. 54th St., Philadelphia, PA 19131.
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