Dr. Jimmy Noel Gardner of Poteau was born Dec. 17, 1950 in Wichita, Kansas to Noel Jefferson and Edna Lee (Turner) Gardner and entered the presence of Jesus on Sept. 19, 2025 in Poteau at the age of 74.
Read more: Dr. Jimmy Noel Gardner obituaryDr. Gardner’s funeral service is 2 p.m. Saturday at the Heavener First Baptist Church with Pastor Brock Hardin, Brother Bentley Hill and Chaplain James Gardner officiating. Burial will follow at the Oakland Cemetery in Poteau, under the direction of Dowden-Roberts Cremation Center of Poteau.
He was a speaker, author, professional mental health counselor, and founder and head of Set Free Prayer Ministry, as well as a loving and faithful husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.
Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, he grew up in a Christian home attending a conservative, Bible-based church. At the age of 8, he accepted Jesus as his personal savior at a revival service. Attending a Chicago area Bible school in 1969, he met his future wife, Gloria Becker.
They were married in 1972, and raised two children, James and Rachel, to adulthood. Jim designed and completed many home construction projects, was a great fix-it guy, a respectable racquetball player and a skilled acoustic guitar player. He enjoyed joking about using his “p.h.d,” his post-hole digger.
He was an active member of Heavener First Baptist Church, often speaking to the congregation and leading Sunday School classes, and always coming up with another ministry to pursue.
His lifelong goal was to help people overcome crippling emotional pain that prevented them from living productive, happy lives.
After pursuing higher education through the degree of Ph.D., and using cognitive therapy along with Christian counseling in professional mental health practice for 25 years, he found that he was still unable to help clients overcome even common emotional issues such as grief and anger.
In 2002, he learned a faith-based form of counseling that was far more effective. He began to see his clients receive lasting emotional healing through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Since then he implemented these principles in his practice, fulfilling his lifelong goal by helping thousands of people to be set free from disabling emotional pain. Having made this discovery, he was motivated to work to spread the ministry as far as possible throughout the country, even to the extent of traveling many times to the scenes of several mass shootings to counsel those affected.
Such actions showed his tireless determination, which marked the pattern of his life. When he experienced a stroke that paralyzed his left side on July 20, he worked with constant dedication to overcome these deficits and recover his physical strength.
However, on Sept 19, he suddenly experienced a massive heart attack and passed away.
The continuance of Set Free Prayer Ministry after his death was his strongest desire. To that end, he trained others to be able to pass these principles on. Any Christian can use this tool to help others find emotional peace, and to bring them to know Jesus Christ.
Donations to Set Free Prayer Ministry can be made through Heavener First Baptist Church, 200 W Ave C, Heavener, OK 74937, designated to Set Free Prayer Ministry or “Gardner memorial.”
Dr. Gardner is survived by his wife, Gloria Gardner, of the home; one son James Lewis Gardner and wife Juanita of Pocola; three sisters Martha Lee Miller and husband Don of Hideaway, Texas, Ann Elaine Braswell, and Phyllis Gale Gardner of Florida; one granddaughter, Eliana Jeanne Gardner; numerous nieces, nephews, other loved ones, and many friends
He was preceded in death by his parents, Noel and Edna Gardner; one daughter, Rachael Jeanne Gardner; and one brother, John Paul Gardner.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Tim. 4:7
Viewing is from noon until 7 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Friday with the family visiting with friends from 6 until 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
To view his online guestbook, please visit www.dowdenrobertscremationcenter.com
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