Shirley Mae Hardisty, 95, of Tyler, passed away Monday, 6 May 2024. She is survived by one goddaughter, two sons, four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Shirley returned to Tyler, with her husband Harry, in 1986, after his retirement.
Shirley was the only child of Mary and Joseph Ditzig, of Waukegan, Illinois. Shirley was born 6 November 1928 and graduated, in 1946, from Waukegan High School. One of her most interesting stories from that time was when she was working one summer, as an operator for Illinois Bell Telephone, in Waukegan. In August 1945, she was at the switchboard that connected the Great Lakes Naval Station. All of a sudden her board lit up on all circuits. The sailors were calling home to tell their families that Japan surrendered and the war is over.
Shirley’s dream was to become a school teacher, not a telephone operator. Her councillor at Waukegan High recommended Western Illinois State Teachers College, now Western Illinois State University, in Macomb, Ill. So in the fall of 1946, she boarded the electrified North Shore Line, at Edison Court Station, for the trip to Chicago where she then transferred to a steam train to Macomb.
While attending university, Shirley met Harry Hardisty, Jr., a returned veteran sailor and local area resident. Although Harry was 3 years older, they attended university at the same time. Harry graduated in 1948 and was employed by the SS Kresge Company Store, in Quincy, Illinois. Shirley majored in Mathematics and graduated, in 1950, with a number of accomplishments: Delta Sigma Epsilon, Vice President. Pan-Hellenistic Council, W.A.W.S. President, Forum Vice President, Pi Kappa Delta President, Y. W. C. A., House President's Council.
Shirley and Harry dated while attending university and were married at the First Methodist Church of Waukegan, in July of 1950. They remained together until his death, at 96, in 2021. They lived in numerous cities in the Midwest, then transferred south to Fort Smith and to Tyler.
Shirley remained deeply involved in volunteer work, as family conditions allowed. Volunteering at two hospitals, in Tyler and in Jackson, Michigan. She was also deeply involved in the Woman’s Division (formerly WSCS) of the Methodist Church. She served in both the Southeast Michigan and Texas Conferences. Both Shirley and Harry were involved in UMCOR and their local churches, including Fairwood United Methodist Church, where their membership last resided.
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