Gildardo Carmona Ruiz passed away peacefully on Monday, May 15th, 2023. He was born on June 8, 1936, in Santa Lucia, Durango, Mexico to Beatrice and Antonio Carmona de la Rosa. He graduated from the University of Coahuila, in Saltillo, Mexico in 1958 with a B.S. in Agronomy/Agricultural Engineering and in 1963 with a M.S. in Soils Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville under a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship. It was at the U.T. library that he met Margaret Jeanne Morring of Chattanooga, Tennessee, the love of his life. They married on May 26th, 1963, had two children, and enjoyed a loving marriage lasting 50 years.
 

In addition to being a kind and loving husband and father, Gildardo or “Gil,” as he was known to friends and family, was an accomplished scientist and professor. He held the position of Director of Research and Dean of the Agriculture College at the University of Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico. In addition, he served as a member of the Advisory Council on Higher Education for the President of Mexico. In 1988 while on sabbatical at the International Fertilizer Development Center in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, he was honored with the Visiting Scientist Award where he later worked for the Research and Development Division. After retiring as a scientist in 2001, he became a Certified Nurse Assistant ultimately providing care for patients in Hospice in Chattanooga.
 

Gil was known for his peaceful, kind and serene disposition. He had a deep love for nature, geology, music and the arts. After retiring a second time he joined a hiking club which he immensely enjoyed. He was truly an amazing father, scientist, world traveler and loving husband.
 

As a devout Christian, Gil was an active member of the Red Bank United Methodist Church for 34 years. During the 26 years that he and his wife and children lived in Monterrey, Mexico, they were also faithful members of the Union Church of Monterrey.
 

Cherishing his memory are his son David, his wife Kelly and their daughter Tyler of Mill Valley, California; son Daniel, his wife Holly and their daughter Wren of Nashville, Tennessee; sister Martha Beatrice Carmona Ruiz of Durango, Mexico; and brother-in-law, David Morring and his daughter Marika of Eugene, Oregon.

Family will receive friends for a memorial service at the Red Bank United Methodist Church at 11 am on Saturday, June 17th 2023 in celebration of Gil’s life and legacy.