Richard E. Hardy passed away on Friday, January 6th, thus ending his 9th and final life. Known as “Dick Hardy” to everyone, he was 88 years old. He is survived by his sister, Barbara, his daughters, Donya, Dana and Deanne, his grandchildren Alana, Deming, Jaxon, Andres and Brandon, great-grandchildren Amaya and Caiden and numerous nieces, nephews, stepchildren, step grandchildren and several of his daughter’s ex-husbands. He is preceded in death by Merle Day, his life partner of 28 years.
Except for his years in the Army, he lived his whole life in Oregon and was a 5th generation Oregonian. After graduating Benson High School in 1952, he married Barbara in 1956 and was drafted into the Army - while on his honeymoon. He worked at Grandmas Cookies for over 30 years as an engineer. After that he began his own business, Hardy Construction, as a general contractor and was known as a perfectionist when it came to his work.
Dick’s hobbies included working on cars, racing boats and later restoring old cars. In the late 60’s, Dick bought a boat, and his family has great memories of the times spent on the Columbia River, skiing and camping. He was a member of the Columbia Speedboat Club and spent many years racing boats throughout the Pacific Northwest. Dick believed in philanthropic work and was a long-time member the Beaverton Elks, American Legion, East Portland Moose and the Portland Columbia Lions. He spent time over many summers working at Meadowood Speech Camp in Washington and was President of the Columbia Lions until his death, calling weekly bingo for them for many years.
Dick was a very bright man and could fix anything. Remarkably, he could tell you the exact spot to locate every tool in his crowded garage/shop until his death. He had a great sense of humor and is remembered as a gentle and caring friend, father and grandpa. He had a group of long-time friends that used to go to lunch every Wednesday. Some of them date back to High School and his time in the service. His family joked that he had 9 lives because of the many serious health issues he encountered…and beat. In the end, his incredible will to live was replaced with the peace of knowing he would not have to endure any more pain. He will be missed by everyone who ever knew him. A celebration of his life will be held at the East Portland Moose Lodge 16411 NE Halsey on February 19 at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Lions Sight and Hearing at https://olshf.org/donate (503)413-7399 or the Oregon Cancer Foundation at https://www.classy.org/give/281419/#!/donation/checkout (541)632-3654.
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