Lionel "Bob" E. Gard

Lionel E. “Bob” Gard of Crown Point, Indiana passed away at the age of 89 on Sunday, July 28, 2024. He was born in 1935 in Gary, Indiana and grew up in the city’s Miller Beach neighborhood. In 1957, he married Rosemary Babich of Gary. From 1958 to 1960, he was a soldier in the U.S. Army stationed for one year in Italy, which thrilled Rosemary. Rosemary begged him to re-enlist but he wanted to go home. They had two children, a daughter, Kristina, in 1964 and a son, Michael, in 1970. Bob held many occupations throughout his life, most of which were independent and self-employed endeavors. After being employed as a meat cutter’s apprentice, he went on to form several of his own businesses with Rosemary. In the early 1960s, they founded Bob’s Mobile Lunch and Coffee Wagon, which was one of the first food trucks in Northwest Indiana. He traveled to various work sites, factories, and mills serving breakfast and lunch. Later in the 1960s, they founded The Coffee Cellar, located at the corner of 4th Avenue & Lake Street in Miller. This business later became The Gard Gallery, which offered framing services, art exhibitions, and studio space for artists. During the late 1970s, The Gard Gallery moved to Crown Point, located inside the Great Escape complex, the site from which notorious criminal John Dillinger escaped. Bob, Rosemary, and their children, Kristina and Michael, also ran a small tobacco shop and magazine shop which served as the false front for S.O.B.’s Speakeasy, the hidden restaurant within the Dillinger complex. Diners had to know the secret password to get into the restaurant, and Bob and his family had great fun playing along with the guests. Over the years, they also owned Main Street Antiques in Crown Point on the corner of Main Street & Summit Street inside an old gas station. Then the Gard Gallery reopened nearby on Sherman Street. He and Rosemary spent the later years of their careers conducting estate sales and appraisals. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Mable (Garrison) Gard. He is survived by his wife of nearly 67 years, Rosemary, of Crown Point, daughter Kristina (Kevin) Browne of Lowell, IN, and son Michael Gard of Valparaiso, IN. Grandchildren: Kevin Browne of Chicago, IL, Rory (Anet) Browne of Fort Novosel, AL, and Thomas Browne of Bloomington, IN. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. c.s.t. at Burns Funeral Home & Crematory, 10101 S. Broadway, Crown Point. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana.

Lionel "Bob" E. Gard

March 13, 1935 - July 28, 2024