GARDINER – Barbara Ladner Stanton, 88, passed away on April 8, 2020. Barbara was born in Gardiner on May 21, 1931, the daughter of Edmund and Lillian Ladner. She grew up with her beloved late brother Norman Ladner. She graduated from Gardiner High School in 1949, where she was a cheerleader.She enlisted in the United States Navy in 1951 and served for four years, stationed at Quonset Point, R.I., where she met her future husband Robert Stanton. After they married, they moved to Queens, N.Y. and then to Long Island, where they raised four boys and a girl. Barbara worked at the IRS Center in Holtsville, Long Island, for over a decade.After the children had grown, she and Robert retired to her childhood home in West Gardiner, with a view of Cobbossee Stream. Barbara spent her winters in North Fort Myers, Fla. She spent her retirement years tending to her beautiful gardens, travelling, playing tennis and pickleball, and socializing with her many relatives and friends.She loved spending time with her grandchildren, and her day was brightened whenever she saw or spoke to them. They visited her every summer, and she made them whoopie pies, a favorite family dessert.Barbara was a resilient and outspoken woman who advocated for women’s rights.She spent the final year of her life in an assisted living facility on Long Island, where her children and grandchildren visited often.Barbara is survived by her five children and six grandchildren.If you wish to share a memory, please visit dignitymemorial.com.