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CLEVELAND, Emery County — Although he was a teacher for more than two decades, no one called Darrell Gardner mister.
To the students and faculty of Emery High, he was Gardner, Coach or Darrell. He knew their names, knew their parents and knew that if they'd give it a try, they'd love to run.
The community he embraced and enriched mourned the unexpected death of Gardner on Thursday in a funeral followed by a gathering at the high school.
Gardner, 51, was using a backhoe to remove a large cottonwood tree from his property in Cleveland on Memorial Day when he hit the tree roots. The trunk split and fell on Gardner. Emery County Sheriff's Capt. Kyle Ekker said he was killed instantly.
"This is a very hard funeral for our community," Ekker said. "He was very well-liked. It's going to be very hard for the community and for the school, but we had a big tribute to him today."
Gardner's death prompted memorials and tributes on the Internet and in the tight-knit community where he influenced so many lives. More than 1,200 people offered tributes and condolences on a Facebook page started by Nancy Labrum Brown.
"It's pretty devastating," Brown said of the impact on the community. "He stood up for what he believed in. You knew where he stood. He encouraged you not to cut class, to go to seminary. We respected him and he respected us."
Many of the tributes were from former student athletes who'd been influenced by Gardner's love of running.
"Yesterday I was going to work thinking about the ice cream that you STILL owe me for puking thousands of times at track," said Melanie Frisbie. "Guess what I did today? I went and got ice cream."
Frisbie was emotional as the Emery High senior talked about how pushing herself on the track had made her a stronger person. Their shirts this year read, "Dream it, Believe it, Win it."
Emery boys basketball coach Todd Jeffs helped Gardner start the social dance program, along with Jeffs' wife, Donn.
"He was a great guy," said Jeffs. "Everything about him was good. It's a sad loss for our community and school. He was a guy that was everywhere. He was active in the church and community. He showed up at every function."
Tyrel Mills said after attending the funeral for Gardner he came away with two things.
"Pain is temporary, life is eternal," he wrote. "Shut up and live!"
And secondly, "the best way to honor such a great man is to live the way he lived and taught."
Gardner graduated from Utah State University in 1985 after helping the Aggies to a third-place finish in track and field in the Big West Championships that year.
"The biggest thing about Darrell was his everlasting enthusiasm, especially for young people," said veteran USU head coach Gregg Gensel, who was an assistant when Gardner was a student-athlete. "It didn't matter who you were or where you came from, Darrel wanted to help anyone. His enthusiasm was contagious. He made everyone around him a better person."
Gardner is survived by his wife, Natalie, two sons and a daughter. The community plans a 5K run at the Emery High track at 6 p.m. on June 10. Students are selling T-shirts to benefit the family, and there is also an account set up at Zions Bank. Another group is hoping to collect money for a memorial at the high school honoring Gardner's contributions both in the classroom and in athletics.
Contributing: Emiley Morgan
