Joseph Melvin Hardy

Joseph M. Hardy, 73, of Crucible, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully in his home on Saturday, October 5th, 2024, following a lengthy, courageous battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loving family and his beloved dog, Benji, at the time of his passing.

Joseph was the son of the late John “Kayo” and Irene “Rene” Hardy. He grew up in Glassworks, Pa. He was born on July 28, 1951, and attended Mapletown High School. A 1970 graduate, he was a standout on the undefeated 1968 & 1969 Mapletown High School Football teams, often remembered as “Some of the best teams in Mapletown sports history.” He loved to reminisce about his days on the football field.

It was easy to see how much he truly loved the game. His love of the game was only to be surpassed by the love of the men who both coached him and the men who played beside him on the field. Many, if not all, were lifelong friends. He truly loved being a Mapletown Maple.

Joseph proudly enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in May of 1970. He served in the Vietnam War for one year and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 1974. He continued his military service in the Army National Guard of Pennsylvania for two more years. He was honorably discharged from the National Guard in 1976. He attained the rank of Sgt. E4.

Joe met the love of his life prior to his deployment to Vietnam. They fell in love through the letters they consistently wrote to one another in the year that he spent overseas. They married soon after his return and made a beautiful life out of the incredible love that they both felt for one another. It was clear to the very end that they were not only husband and wife but the best of friends. If you saw Mary Ann, you knew Joe wouldn’t be far. Their love will undoubtedly be everlasting, and his spirit will remain by her side until she meets him again. They would have been married for 52 years at the end of December.

After military service, Joseph worked as a coal miner in the Buckeye Coal Mine in Nemacolin, PA, and Emerald Mine in Waynesburg, PA, for 14 years. He was buried in Buckeye Mine twice before deciding to apply for and join the ranks of the United States Mine and Safety Health Administration (MSHA) as a Federal Coal Mine Inspector. He was with MSHA for 22 years as an Inspector, and in 2012, he transitioned out of the coal mines completely and spent his last two years in the litigation division of MSHA.

Joseph had a special relationship with each of his daughters. Dawn remembers the walks that he took them on in the Gamelands when they were little. They both shared a love of birds, and he was quick to be her handyman when she needed one. Joseph loved to hunt and fish in his spare time. He especially loved spending time fly fishing up on the Casselman River in Grantsville, MD. He also liked hunting deer and turkey out on “the strip” in Greensboro, PA., or in Maryland on Hargett Farms with Tammy. He absolutely loved his time out hunting, fishing, shooting guns, swimming in the creeks, riding ATVs, metal detecting, looking for arrowheads, etc. His best times, while hunting and fishing, were spent in the company of his brothers, his daughter Tammy, his best buddies Terry Rafferty, Skippy, Billy Bruce Schifko, & The Sanner brothers.

Joseph was a Civil War buff and loved spending time in Gettysburg, PA. He couldn’t wait for his biannual trips in the spring and fall to the battlefield with his daughters, Joey and Amanda. The time they spent together, from the car ride there to the car ride home, was so special to all of them. He was an avid reader, and you would find him reading his latest Civil War book in his spare time. He always admired the extensive knowledge of the battlefield tour guides, but his daughters admired him just the same. His knowledge made him their honorary battlefield tour guide. In the spring of 2024, Joe was able to see the two bricks that Joey and Amanda got placed in the town circle by Abraham Lincoln’s statue in honor of their father. This was a great honor to him and something that made their presence in their favorite town a little more permanent. Road trips to Gettysburg will never be the same.

He adored his grandbabies and especially loved swimming in the summer with Ellie and “Nash Potatoes.” He loved making silly dances with them and couldn’t wait for Christmas to come around each year. He was at almost every cross-country meet prior to getting sick to watch Adison, his granddaughter, compete, and when he was able, the football games to watch both Adison and Kinley perform in the marching band. He was so proud of his grandson Matthew for being in the Air Force and his granddaughter Gracie for graduating college to pursue her dreams. They all loved their pappy so very much, and vice versa, his absence from their lives will be profound. His grandchildren were his pride and joy!

He is also survived by his beloved dog Benji and his four daughters, Dawn R. Bellan, Inwood, WV.; Tammy M. Hardy, Clarksburg, MD.; Amanda R. Konkus and her husband Brody, Ranson, WV.; Joey Udovich and her husband Mike, Rices Landing, PA.; His six beloved and cherished grandchildren, Matthew, Gracie, Adison, Kinley, Ellie & Nash; His nieces and nephews, Debra Jean, Chuckie, Gretchen, Jill, Loribeth, Josh, and Hannah; siblings, Theodora (Teddi) Drews, Canton, OH, John C. Hardy and his wife Carol, Connellsville, PA., Michael J. Hardy and his wife Lorrie, Bobtown, PA. and Bruce A. Hardy and his wife Angie, Carmichaels, PA.

Joseph is preceded in death by his best dogs Baxter and Bentley. He missed them dearly and looked forward to the day that they would be together again.

Joseph was a loving and committed husband, father, grandfather, aka “Pappy,” brother, and friend. He will be missed more than words can say. Our hearts are broken.

A Mass for Joseph will be held on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 11 a.m. at the St. Hugh Catholic Church in Carmichaels, PA, with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. The mass will be immediately followed by a Christian burial with military honors at St. Mary’s Church Cemetery in Crucible, PA.

Anyone who is so inclined is encouraged to donate to St. Jude Children’s

Research Hospital @ www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude