Robert R. Gardenier ’53

Robert R. Gardenier, 79, who retired from Naval Sea Systems Command in 1985 at the rank of captain, died March 18 at his home in Alexandria after a heart attack.

The death was confirmed by his daughter Lisette Dimitrew.

Capt. Gardenier joined the Navy in 1953. He helped lead a Saudi naval expansion project before retiring from active duty. He then worked until 2006 for the Columbia Research Corp., a government contractor, where he specialized in engineering and contracts.

Robert Richard Gardenier was a native of Bath, Maine, and a 1953 graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy. He received a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from Boston University in 1962. He settled in the Washington area in 1970.

He was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Alexandria, where he participated in a Bible study group. His other memberships included the Knights of Columbus.

Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Lisetta McKinzie Gardenier of Alexandria; three children, Lisette Dimitrew of Greenville, S.C., Navy Capt. Robert Reid Gardenier of McLean and Denise Gardenier of Nantucket, Mass.; and five grandchildren.