Old Rochester Regional basketball coach dies

Jun 1, 2020

Glenn Gardner, the junior varsity girls basketball coach at Old Rochester Regional High School who was diagnosed with ALS, passed away unexpectedly on May 30. 

Fairlawn Mortuary in Fairhaven posted an obituary for the 64 year old coach, whose diagnosis with the degenerative muscle disease was made public in February. Athletes and former colleagues from Hastings Middle School in Fairhaven, where he taught, wrote on Gardner’s obituary page to express how much he meant to them. 

Gardner initially kept his diagnosis a secret, and only told his team toward the end of the season, as he didn’t want it to impact how he played. When the team found out, his athletes and their parents immediately organized two fundraisers to support their coach. 

Retired Fairhaven teacher Susan Loo was also organizing a fundraiser in Gardner’s honor, which was originally scheduled for March and pushed back to September due to the coronavirus restrictions. She said Gardner’s death was unexpected for everyone, and that she does not know yet what she will do with the fundraiser.