Douglas Michael Hardy

Douglas Michael Hardy, 81, of Columbus, Georgia, passed away on Friday, April 24, 2026. A Celebration of Life Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 3:00 PM at Striffler Hamby Mortuary, 4071 Macon Road, Columbus, Georgia 31907 with a visitation one hour prior. The burial will take place following the service at Parkhill Cemetery.

Doug was born on January 4, 1945, in Columbus, Georgia, to Elfin Ellis and James Hardy. He attended and graduated from Jordan High School in 1963. He retired from Hexion Coated Products in 2009 as a Certified Waste Water Treatment Operator. He was married to his wife, Linda, for 61 years and had one daughter, Jennifer, together.

He always had a great attitude even when diagnosed with cancer 4 years ago. When asked “how are you doing today, Doug” – his answer was always, “WONderful”. Doug was a hard worker and believed in doing a job right the first time. His motto was… “You make a plan, and you work the plan.” This is a trait he passed down to Jennifer. He had many interests. He enjoyed crocheting baby blankets and giving them to family, friends, nurses and anyone he saw with a new baby or who was expecting. He also enjoyed making and selling birdhouses at craft shows and markets. His favorite “crafting” time was with his 4 great nephews – Cody, Chase, Caden and Clay Wilson when they were younger and even teaching them how to crochet.

Doug was an avid fisherman before his health issues. He especially enjoyed fishing trips to Apalachicola with his brother-in-law, James, and sister-in-law, Debbe Wilson. He enjoyed family trips to Florida and often shelled pecans on the condo balcony while watching the boats coming in and out of the pass. He and Jennifer enjoyed fishing, playing golf and going to Fred Ward’s wrestling matches in his younger days. They shared the same sense of humor when it comes to a good joke. Always trying to make each other laugh! Doug taught country line dance for about 12 years. He enjoyed dancing and country music. He especially liked taking his line dance classes to assisted living and nursing homes. He also liked to bake cookies, pies and cakes to take to work and share with co-workers. He had a secret recipe for cheese balls – which everyone loved and looked forward to receiving on special occasions. He cooked many pancakes and sausage patties at Cooper Creek Park, for runners in the Columbus Track Club. He also cooked hundreds of pancakes for Relay for Life participants. Doug got great joy out of sharing and giving to others.

He is survived by his wife, Linda; his daughter, Jennifer Hardy Williams (Charlie); his two brothers, James Hardy (Wynell) and Dean Hardy (Sheila) and his nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, James G. and Elfin Hardy and his brother, David Hardy.

This Bible verse means a lot to the family and is an example of how Doug was throughout the last few years.

‘I have fought a good fight,

I have finished the race,

And I have remained faithful’

2 Timothy 4:7