Sylvia L. Hardy

Sylvia Lynn Hardy, age 72, transitioned into her eternal rest on Saturday, February 4, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas. Sylvia was born to Catherine and Russell Davis on June 2, 1950, in Toledo, Ohio. Her father was a veteran of the United States Navy and her mom, a veteran of managing the family.

Sylvia exuded beauty inwardly and outwardly and possessed a tender heart, full of love. Her liberally expressed love extended first to the God she served, then to her husband of 44 years, then to her 2 children and 7 grandchildren. Given its bounteous overflow, she still possessed an abundance of love to lavish upon her friends, those she encountered in her long and successful career as an insurance adjuster, and the wide scope of people privileged to cross her path through her extensive life endeavors. By virtue of her strong faith, she demonstrated steadfast compassion for all of humankind. But she was laser focused on the less fortunate. Sylvia’s outreach to the vulnerable sparkled most brightly when serving the forgotten, marginalized or oppressed she and her husband were fiercely committed to and when helping to care for her lone sibling, Scottie, a stroke victim, during the final years preceding his 2021 death. She did not merely FEEL deep compassion for others. She consistently ACTED on it.

Known as a quiet person, Sylvia possessed the uncanny ability to powerfully impact a diverse range of people with few words. She could boost others with her warm smile, “straighten out” folk with a stern glance, beautify a plain environment with her multiple aesthetic gifts, welcome the desolate with her hospitality and lift the downcast with her benevolent acts of service. When Sylvia did open her mouth, it was often to share words of wisdom or practical advice, toss out some sarcastic wit or amaze and inspire with her incredible soprano singing voice. Sylvia was awed by God’s creation, fun loving, influential, bright and gifted. But she abhorred drawing attention to herself for her contributions to people’s well-being and never sought credit for her good deeds or sacrificial spirit. Moreover, Sylvia was not content to utilize her attributes and blessings merely to benefit herself, her friends and loved ones–though she continually did so. More broadly, her journey upon this earth was a living testament to the following Christian principle; “To whom much is given, much is required.” Endowed with extraordinary gifts and talents and ever grateful for her own blessings, she counted it a privilege to employ her magnificent culinary, sewing, teaching, leading, organizing, “handyman”, and caregiving talents to uplift the less fortunate and bring hope to the hopeless. As she gave of herself generously, she deftly maneuvered to avoid the spotlight in doing so. She exemplified a life that mattered by reaching out to others whose joy, opportunities or resources were limited by life circumstances or cruelly snatched from them by oppressive forces. Thus she and her husband teamed to assist, among others, unhoused children and families in her own community, Katrina survivors, orphans in Ghana, West Africa, and several groups of industrious women striving to empower themselves and lift their families out of wrenching poverty in Tanzania and Kenya, East Africa. In those two nations, Sylvia also ventured into remote villages where she taught practical skills to poverty stricken young African girls striving to stay in school and women developing marketable skills to promote self sufficiency. She valued all varieties of people but was particularly proud of her own rich African American heritage and traditions. Accordingly, her family’s annual hosting of Kwanzaa celebrations in their home became very popular events in both cities she called home during her long marriage (Columbus, Ohio and San Antonio, Texas). Sylvia was the essence of African American elegance, strength and ferocious resilience.

Everyone who was privileged to encounter Sylvia, in a meaningful way, was made the better by being touched by her love, her Christian virtues, her grace, her kindness, her guidance, her joy, her generosity and/or her service. Sylvia quietly let her light shine brightly by being a faithful Christian servant, a loving wife, a devoted mother, a doting grandmother, a loyal friend, a skilled worker, a gifted and humble giver, a sterling volunteer, and a dutiful sister. No wonder she was adored by so many and her absence creates great sadness, even amidst the joy that she is at peace and will receive a just reward in eternity. The world is a more beautiful, tastier and better place because she inhabited it and she will be missed not only by those who comprised her intimate circle but also by people in different corners of the globe.

Sylvia was preceded in death by her parents, Catherine and Russell Davis, brother, Scottie Davis. She is survived by husband Jonathan E. Hardy; son, Torrey Hardy (Shani); daughter, Kyana Gartrell-Hardy (Matthew); informally adopted Kenyan daughter, Mwende; grandchildren, Marcel, Tatyana, Jazmine, Mikayla, Kaleb, Kingston, and Bailey.

Memorial contributions may be made to one of two African women’s empowerment organizations in Sylvia’s honor. Your gifts will be funneled to Bukoba Women’s Empowerment Assn. in Tanzania, East Africa or Women in Water and Natural Resources Conservation in Kenya, East Africa. These are the two organizations Sylvia worked vigorously with to lift disempowered African women and girls. Donations may be made by check or money order given directly, and made payable, to Jonathan Hardy or via Zelle ([email protected]). An account at Chase Bank has been set up for the sole purpose of providing 100% of gifts given to the two above-named private, non-profit African organizations.

MEMORIAL SERVICESATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 202310:00 AMHIGHER GROUND CHRISTIAN WORSHIP CENTER9760 ROCKET LANE, CONVERSE, TX 78109

Please click the link below to view the service.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/mf-userfiles/MFAccount_2097/hardy-full_2023-11-27.m4v