Barbara "Pat" (Bell) Hardin

Pat Hardin passed away in San Antonio, Texas, on March 18, 2022, after a lengthy illness. She was born on January 4, 1929, in Laurel, Mississippi, to Ersel and Grace Bell. She was the third of five children, and the baby of the family until her mother had twin boys when she was 14 years old. Pat remembered hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor over the radio at a high school sorority meeting. She lived in Laurel until she was 16 and her family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, her senior year of high school because of her father’s wartime job responsibilities. She graduated from Central High School in Jackson. She graduated with a major in English from Millsaps College. She was an active member of Kappa Delta sorority and met her future husband while hitch hiking. Because of the post-war gas shortage, it was common for students to hitch rides with each other, and George C. Hardin, a WWII vet and Millsaps student, gave her a ride downtown to her job. They married in 1950 and lived in the Jackson area most of their lives. They had three daughters together.

Pat worked for the Illinois Central Railroad from 1950 to 1953 when her oldest daughter was born. She became a homemaker who was active in her church, St. Luke’s Methodist, and her daughters’ activities. She was president of the Kappa Delta Alumna group in Jackson , PTA president at Callaway High School and was president of the Delta Gamma Mother’s Club of Jackson. Her husband was a State Farm agent and active Mississippi Air National Guard member, retiring as a Colonel and base commander. She always was busy organizing him at the office or with the Guard and they made many good friends during their life together.

In 1978, she moved to Madison, Mississippi, to a house above the reservoir where she spent many happy years. As her husband’s health declined, she moved her church membership closer to Madison United Methodist Church. She was an avid bridge player and mystery reader. Even when she lost most of her near vision from macular degeneration, she continued to “read” Louise Penny via audio books.

She enjoyed traveling, especially with her dear departed friend Carolyn Park. They went to Alaska, England, the northeast and Canada on tours and cruises. She was a frequent traveler on the Deposit Guaranty trips to the Saenger Theater in New Orleans.

Her health began declining in 2015, and she moved to The Forum at Lincoln Heights to be near her oldest daughter in San Antonio. She participated in Bible Study and the Alamo Heights Methodist Church service at the Forum. After several health setbacks, she moved to the Assisted Living area of the Forum right as the pandemic began and was grateful to remotely attend AHUMC. She also learned how to Zoom during the shutdown so she could have daily visits with her daughter while everything was restricted.

She is predeceased by her husband of 61 years, George C. Hardin and her daughter, Ruth Hardin Larpenteur (Dana) of Plaquemine, La; her older sister, Jean Bell Reinhart and her older brother, Ersel Bell. She is survived by her younger twin brothers, Donald Bell (Mary Frances) of Durham, North Carolina, and Ronald Bell (Plesene) of Richardson, Texas She is survived by two daughters, Dr. Barbara Hardin (Stephen Perez) of San Antonio and Patsy Hardin Morgan (Orlando, FL). She has seven grandchildren : Major Jared (Clare) Larpenteur of Ft. Drum, New York; Captain Patrick Morgan (Tara) of Fairfax, Virginia; Stephanie Perez (Byron) Henderson of Ft. Worth, Texas; Joel Larpenteur (Taylor LeMay) of Houston, Texas; Mallory Morgan Hernandez (Guermo) of Roto, Spain; Laura Perez of Austin, Texas and Jacob (Molly) Larpenteur of San Antonio, Texas. She also has eight great grandchildren (Ruthie Larpenteur, Charlie Larpenteur; Rylee Morgan; Layla Morgan; Patton Henderson; Hayden Henderson; Mary Hardin Larpenteur and her sibling who is due in early April.

A memorial service will be held 10:30 a.m., Monday, April 4, 2022 at the Garden Chapel of Alamo Heights United Methodist Church with burial in Madison, Mississippi by her beloved husband. Memorial contributions may be made in her memory to the Salvation Army, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, Millsaps College or LSU. The family wishes to thank Kindred Hospice, the Assisted Living Center of the Forum and especially Lena Laster, her caregiver from AA Care who was her guardian angel for the last several years, especially through the pandemic.