Laura (Laurie) Hardwick of Atlanta, Ga., passed away Nov. 5, 2019. She was a loving and dedicated wife, mother and grandmother who over her lifetime displayed many diverse talents and passions and went out of her way to welcome and nurture others. A 25-year cancer survivor, she was a true warrior. However, in the past year her health had steadily declined due to suffering two strokes and a seizure.
Laurie was born March 2, 1942, in Bryn Mawr, PA, and spent her elementary school years in Glen Rock, NJ. Her family relocated to Mt. Lebanon, PA, where she graduated from high school, after which she obtained her BA degree from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA.
In her 2nd year at MBC, she met her future husband Pearce Hardwick who was graduating from Washington & Lee University. While Pearce attended law school at UVA, Laurie completed her studies at MBC and then worked in New York City doing inside sales for Dow Chemical. Laurie and Pearce began their 54 years of marriage in July 1965, followed by a two-year “tour” of active Army duty that took them to Ft. Benning, GA; Ayer, MA; Homestead, FL; and Manhattan, KA. Laurie returned to her parents’ home in PA for seven months while Pearce was in Vietnam.
The couple moved to Atlanta in 1967 and began their family of three girls the next year. Laurie dedicated her creativity and boundless energy to helping her family thrive, volunteering in their schools and community, leading Girl Scout troops, and establishing an open-door policy where friends and neighbors were not just welcome to visit her home, they were part of the family. When the girls were older, she worked part-time in women’s retail stores for more than 20 years. But Laurie’s first priority was always her family, and she lovingly supported her husband and always balanced the evolving needs of her girls. Each summer she relished the two-day drive to Babcock Lake near Hoosick Falls, NY, and the blessed time spent there watching her girls grow up with cousins and friends.
Laurie was constantly on the lookout for ways to apply her positive energy to help others. She devoted countless hours to her church, the Blazers Sunday school class, community service and charitable efforts and she was particularly touched by a mission trip to the Republic of Georgia. Her love of flowers and making things beautiful drew her to the Flower Guild at her church, just as it motivated her to tend to her garden and her home. Above all, she excelled at creating comfort. Her kitchen was not only a place where she humbly created delicious meals, it was also a community of love and acceptance – a place to laugh or cry and where everyone was welcome.
She is survived by her husband Pearce; 3 daughters: Kathryn (Katie) Dillon (Jay) in Atlanta, Brook Hardwick (Toni Pons) in Barcelona, and Laura (Wicki) Mitchell (Alex) in Atlanta; 4 grandchildren, Charlie and Pearce in Atlanta, and Oscar and Dani in Barcelona; a brother George (Marcia) Holbrook of Hoosick Falls, NY and numerous nieces and nephews.
The celebration service will be held at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road in Buckhead, at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, November 11, 2019, with a reception at the church following the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Laurie Hardwick to Fleur de Lis Camp where Laurie and her daughters and nieces attended as campers and counselors for many years. Checks can be made to Fleur de Lis Camp and mailed to 120 Howeville Road, Fitzwilliam NH 03447 or online via https://fleurdelis.campintouch.com/ui/forms/donor/Form.
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