A Richmond-area farmer and former president of the McHenry County Farm Bureau died after falling 30 feet from a silo, officials said Friday.
David Gardner, 57, was working with his father on the farm Thursday and had filled the silo with feed for the winter. He then fell while climbing down a ladder.
When paramedics arrived at 10:30 a.m., Gardner was not breathing and did not have a heartbeat, said Richmond Fire Chief Ken Foszcz. Gardner was pronounced dead at Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry about an hour later.
Gardner was well known and active in the area’s farming community.
“This is a longtime farming family here, and his death has really hurt the community,” Foszcz said. “It’s going to be tough in a small town like this.”
Gardner was primarily a dairy farmer, but the family’s 200-acre farm at 4211 W. Solon Rd. in unincorporated Richmond also had crops of soybeans and corn.
Three generations worked the farm. Gardner had served as the president of the McHenry County Farm Bureau from 1995 to 1998.
“There will be someone on the board who will take his spot, but no one could ever replace him,” said Larry Harris, manager of the McHenry County Farm Bureau and a close friend.
Gardner is survived by his wife, Cindy; three sons, Adam, Ryan and Nathan; his parents, Robert and Jeannette; three sisters, Nancy Cole, Jane Fry and Ellen Ornberg; a brother, Bruce; and two grandchildren. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday in Ehorn-Adams Funeral Home, 10011 Main St., Richmond. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday in the funeral home.
