Obituary of Wilber Hardy

Wilber Dale Hardy called W.D. or Hardy was hospitalized at Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital in Burlington from October 31, 2010 to November 14, 2010 and was transferred to the Weisbrod Memorial Hospital in Eads, Colorado on November 15, 2010 where he remained hospitalized until passing away in his sleep on December 16, 2010. W.D. was born February 10, 1921, to Walter Thomas Hardy and Elga Hamlet Hardy in Morley, Missouri. Wilber Dale was the 6th child of 13 siblings born to this family. W.D. had many happy memories of his childhood and especially remembered when his parents and 9 siblings moved from Missouri to Burlington, Colorado in 1929. Their truck held all of the family’s belongings and his favorite recollection of this venture consisted of sleeping on rugs in the back of the truck or on the ground and enjoying the home cooked meals that were prepared by his Mother over an open camp fire. Times were tough during W.D.’s school years and he was only able to attend school through the 8th grade before he was required to go to work to help his family make a living. He talked about his very last teacher, Nell Culver, who spent extra time with him in the classroom. (He said, “She just seemed to know that young men wouldn’t be able to attend school through the 12th grade and they would need extra math to help them make a decent living.”) W.D. loved to read and he cherished a book that he received from Ms. Culver prior to leaving school, “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson. He never grew tired of watching any western T.V. show or movie, football and baseball games, The Price Is Right, and the Andy Griffith Show. The local and national news were a big part of his daily routine and it was amazing how he kept up with what was going on in all parts of the country. W.D. would go to bed early and was always up and ready to take on the world way before the sun came up! He loved to visit and he always started his daily routine with friends at the local coffee shop. Wilber Dale was inducted into the 2115th Army Air Force Base Unit on August 28, 1942, and entered active service September 10, 1942, until his honorable discharge on February 17, 1946. His military occupational specialty was an instructor code radio operator 659 and his military qualification was an expert M1 rifle. He received the American Campaign medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. W.D. was very proud of his military service and took great pride in serving his country. Upon returning from his military service W.D. held various jobs prior to marrying Gladys Rickman on July 17, 1950, in Raton, New Mexico. This marriage was blessed with a daughter Marilyn Kay Hudson who was born on February 8, 1956. W.D. and Gladys also enjoyed being grandparents to their three grandchildren Erica Hudson, Michael Hudson, and Menolly Hudson. The couple was very fortunate to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2000 with family and friends at the First Christian Church in Burlington. Gladys passed away at Grace Manor Nursing Home in Burlington, Colorado on February 24, 2008. W.D. was also preceded in death by his parents Walter T. and Elga Hardy and 8 siblings. He leaves to mourn his passing, Marilyn Hudson, daughter; 3 grandchildren, Erica, Menolly and Michael Hudson; 3 siblings, Paul Hardy and wife Marion, Nadene Brown, Elsie May Cody, June Fehrenbach and husband Bob and a host of family and friends. In the last 89 years W.D. enjoyed life to the fullest. It is amazing the things he could remember about places and people throughout our community (past and present). Everyone that knew him would agree that he loved children (especially the time he was employed as a school bus driver). While visiting his grandchildren in Arizona in 1997, he stole the heart of their babysitter’s youngest granddaughter in five minutes. He was also fondly remembered as the “sucker man” because he handed out lollipops to children when he worked for Wilcox Oil & Chemical delivering fuel and ag chemicals to farmers. His greatest passions were travelling, hunting and fishing. Hardy won turkeys at skeet shoots, including runner-up singles class D in 1963 from the Holyoke gun club and caught an award winning Northern Pike in 1986 that warranted a fishing accomplishment award from Bonny Dam Marina. His pickup was the most tangible possession he owned as he grew older. His vehicle allowed him to keep in touch with people and places that he enjoyed.