Hartley William Hird Jr.

Hartley William Hird, Jr., age 93, of Jacksonville, FL, passed away Tuesday, February 13th, 2024 surrounded by his loved ones. Hartley was born October 18th, 1930 in Philadelphia, PA. He graduated from Northeast High School and attended the Wharton School for Business in Philadelphia. He married the love of his life Florence “Floss” Hird (nee York) October 17th, 1953 and celebrated 70 wonderful years together. They lived a lively and active life, often loud, and full of laughter, love, family gatherings, and social functions. Dancing was their love language and their marriage was the foundation for their tight-knit family.

As a born and bred Philadelphian, Hartley took his love of music and outgoing demeanor and joined the Greater Kensington String Band as a saxophone playing Mummer. To this day, his family struts to the tune of Golden Slippers at every family celebration. Hartley was a proud American, serving his country in the United States Navy on the USS Orion during the Korean War. This experience shaped his character and was the essence of his being. His patriotism lasted a lifetime, and he passed this love down to his family. After his time in the Navy, he spent 42 years of dedicated service to the railroad industry working for the Pennsylvania Railroad, Southern Railroad, and CSX.

Hartley loved being by the water, which was the through line of his life. His work in the railroad relocated him to his second home of Maryland where his love of the water surged. He was an avid angler, boater, and crabber. Furthermore, Hartley was a sports enthusiast. From a youth athlete, to a coach of his son’s boys club teams, to a long-time adult golf league player, to a supporter and diehard fan of his professional home teams, Hartley never missed a game. His final stop with his work on the railroad took him to Jacksonville, FL where he was able to take a more scenic approach to life. He was a golden member of the Florida Tackle & Gun Club where he spent many days sipping on a gin & tonic (which he attributed to his longevity), playing trivia and bingo, and socializing with his fellow patrons.

As a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Hartley could always be counted on for his quick-witted remarks, tried and true catchphrases, and it was known that he was everybody’s biggest fan. Because regardless of all of his accomplishments, his proudest achievement was undoubtedly his family. He is survived by his wife, Florence; their children: Patricia Caputo (Donald), Bill Hird (Jenny), and Heather Blair (Richard). He is also survived by 5 grandchildren, plus their spouses, and 5 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hartley William Hird, Sr. & Lucille Turner Hird.

A private service will be held on Friday, March 22nd, 2024. A celebration of life for all who wish to attend will be held on Saturday, March 23rd, 2024 at 1:00 PM at the Florida Tackle & Gun Club in Jacksonville, Florida.

As a final note, Hartley would want you to know that “Quitters never win and winners never quit. Win if you can, lose if you must, just play the game fair and square.”