Courtney Lynn Gardiner

It is with broken hearts that the family of Courtney Lynn Gardiner announces her sudden passing on August 21, 2024. Born on April 22, 1992 in Ottawa, Ontario, she is the precious daughter of Karen Vallevand and the late Jeffrey Gardiner and stepdaughter of Michel Bélec. She is also the cherished granddaughter of William Vallevand and the late Janet Vallevand, the late Winfield and late Betty Gardiner and the late Ovide and late Yolande Bélec.  She is greatly missed and will forever be remembered by her sisters Jenna Gardiner and Kelly Gardiner, her brother, Nicolas Bélec, and numerous Aunts, Uncles, cousins and friends.

Courtney touched everyone who knew her. She lit up a room with her smile and infectious laughter. She had a heart of pure gold and cared deeply for her family and friends. She was fiercely independent and very hardworking, most recently as a screening officer at the Calgary airport and for 12 years before that she was a talented hair stylist who loved working at Suite 13 salon. She was always up for fun adventures like hikes in the Gatineau Park and in the Alberta Rocky Mountains and going for long runs - she was so proud to have run a half marathon as a tribute to her Dad on Father’s Day, having trained and run all by herself in 2020. Some of her favourite times were spent at her family cottage on Wolfe Island, trips with her sisters and friends to Las Vegas and kicking up her heels at the Calgary Stampede. Courtney was a joy to be around, had a soft spot for animals, and she gave the best hugs. 

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Courtney’s life at the Beechwood National Memorial Centre, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 1:00 pm. A reception will follow. For those who wish, donations may be made in her memory to Diabetes Canada, Ottawa Humane Society, or the charity of your choice. 

“Grief is the last act of love we have to give to those we loved. Where there is deep grief, there was great love.”