G. Gardiner MacLeay, Jr., 83, of Meriden died peacefully at home on December 12, 2009, surrounded by his family. Gardiner was born July 17, 1926, in Claremont, NH, and was the son of the late G. Gardiner and Sarah (Russell) MacLeay, Sr.

He graduated from Stevens High School in 1944 and married Kathryn Leora Fitch in 1947. Gardiner and Kay owned and ran MacLeay’s General Store in Meriden from 1948 until 1975. His 33 years of public service included the U.S. Air Force in Germany following World War II and the United States Postal Service as clerk and then Postmaster in Meriden for 23 years. He retired from the USPS in 1985. He was a member of the NH League of Postmasters where he served as President and National Northeast Regional Coordinator.

Gardiner was a charter member of the Meriden Volunteer Fire Department where he served in several capacities including as Chief. He was President of the Meriden Fire Association and a NH Fire Warden for over 30 years. He was a charter and life member of the Plainfield Historical Society; a member of the Board of Directors of the Meriden Telephone Company and the Board of Directors of the Cornish Rescue Squad; and an over 50-year member of the Meriden Grange. He was a former President of the Mill Cemetery Association in Meriden and was on the Restoration Committee for the Plainfield and Meriden Town Halls. He and Kay were instrumental in having the Meriden Town Hall placed on the National Register of Historic Places. He was a member of the Meriden Congregational Church for over 50 years and served there as a Deacon, Trustee, and Church School teacher.

Gardiner loved antiques and worked part-time for William Smith Auction Galleries in Plainfield for many years. He was a bagpiper in “Pipers of Ben Dhu” of West Lebanon and a dancer in the Royal Scottish Dance Group in Meriden. He was also a private pilot and member of the Flying Club of Post Mills, VT. He enjoyed traveling with his wife to many places in the US and worldwide.

Gardiner is survived by his wife; his brother Norman MacLeay and his wife Alice of Claremont; his children Laura Diane Rogers and her husband H. Daniel of Latham, NY and G. Gardiner MacLeay, III of Claremont; his grandchildren Kassie St. Pierre and her husband Jesse of Charlestown, G. Gardiner MacLeay, IV of Claremont, H. Daniel Rogers, III and his wife Jennifer of Westfield, NJ, and Brian Rogers and his wife Julie of San Francisco, CA; eight great grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A service celebrating Gardiner’s life will be held on Sunday, January 3, 2010, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Flickinger Arts Center at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, with a reception to follow. A committal service will be held in the spring. Relatives and friends are invited and may call Saturday, January 2, 2010, from 2-5 p.m. in the Stringer Funeral Home, 146 Broad Street, Claremont, NH. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, that memorial donations may be made to the Meriden Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 337, Meriden, NH 03770; the Meriden Congregational Church, PO Box 187, Meriden, NH 03770; the Plainfield Community Baptist Church, PO Box 84, Plainfield NH 03781; the Cornish Rescue Squad, PO Box 235, Cornish Flat, NH 03746; or the VNA and Hospice of Vermont and NH, PO Box 976, White River Junction, VT 05001.