THE widow of a Scottish man who was killed by the Air France plane crash in May is to lay his body to rest next week.
Graham Gardner was 52 when he the Airbus A330 from Brazil crashed while he was on board.
The master mariner, from Gourock, Renfrewshire, was making his way home on May 31 when the plane went down.
He was one of five Britons on board the flight, which was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
Last month it was confirmed that one of several bodies recovered from the disaster was that of Mr Gardner and he was to be transported to Scotland.
His wife Joyce, 51, at the time welcomed the opportunity to bring him home but added that she would “miss him enormously”.
The family announced that a funeral service is to be held on Monday, July 20.
The announcement said a service for Mr Gardner will be held at the Wellpark Mid Kirk in Greenock from 1.30pm and invited “friends, family and colleagues” to attend.
Mr Gardner will then be laid to rest at the Greenock Crematorium.
And – in a touching nod to Mr Gardner’s career – the family have requested that donations to the Sailors Society and the Sir Gabriel Wood Marines Home be made in lieu of flowers.
Mr Gardner worked as a ship’s master for Aberdeen-based firm, Subsea 7.
He studied at Glasgow College of Nautical Studies and later graduated as a Master Mariner.
Mr Gardner had been in the Merchant Navy all his adult life and served on vessels ranging from ferries and tankers to container ships.
For the past four years he had been based in Brazil on a month-on, month-off contract.
Mr Gardner is survived by his wife Joyce, and sisters Iris and Anna.
