Obituary for Harriett Hardy

Ponca City Now - May 26, 2021 2:44 pm

Harriett A (Summers) Hardy

March 29, 1931 ~ May 21, 2021 (age 90)

Harriett A. (nee Summers) Hardy cherished mother and wife entered heaven’s gates on May 21, 2021.

She was born in Little Rock, AR, on March 29, 1931 to Reverend Jesse T. Summers and Ethel G. (nee Betzing) Summers who both preceded her in death.

She is survived by her loving husband, Luther H. Hardy and their three children, Rick and his wife Debbie of Austin, TX, (Sandy) Sandra Hardy Carlberg and her husband Philip of Austin, TX, and Karl Hardy of Oklahoma City, OK. Harriett’s grandchildren held a very special place in her heart, Amity Hardy Garwood and her husband Jason, Robert Hardy and his wife Kara, Richard Tyler Hardy and his wife Ashlee, Sunnie Hardy Smith, Juliana Carlberg and Adam Carlberg. Harriett loved babies and was delighted with every great grandchild’s birth, seventeen in all; John, Luke, Andrew, Daniel, Caleb, Maylee, Merrick, David, Verity, Ethan, Graham, Evelyn, Gwyneth, Madeline, Adelais, Magnus, and Astrid.

Harriett moved to San Francisco, CA, along with her whole family when she was a young girl. Her father was an evangelistic preacher commissioned by the Southern Baptist Convention to go out west to San Francisco and start a church in the area. Prior to this there were no Baptist churches in Northern California. Luther saw Harriett playing the piano at the front of the church and thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen! At that time, he was in port with the Navy and attended church with one of Harriett’s brothers. Harriett and Luther were married a few years later on October 5, 1951. Harriett continued to be very active in her church. She loved to sing and was a chorus/back-up singer for many musicals being produced in the Bay Area, up until the time she was married. She was especially proud of singing in the hit musical, “Singing in the Rain,” and meeting various famous actors and actresses at the time. She enjoyed a wide variety of jobs during her lifetime. In high school she signed on with the Ford Modeling Agency and modeled exclusively for the I. Magnin Department store. When a call was put out for help during the Korean Conflict she answered the call, and signed up for riveting airplanes together for Corsair Air, becoming a “Rosie the Riveter.” Harriett also worked numerous other jobs over her lifetime, including a telephone operator, foreman at Raytheon soldering microchips in place, manager of a shoe store, and landlord of numerous rental houses in the Ponca City area.

If there were trade days, or a swap meet, or a garage sale Harriett couldn’t pass it up. She loved looking for a bargain and haggling over the price. She loved to find old antiques and refinish them to give them a new look and home. She was a friend to everyone that met her and she lived her life to the fullest! She loved interacting with people and sharing her love for the Lord. She will be missed, but we know where she is!

GRAVESIDE SERVICE
Thursday May 27, 2021 2:00 PM
Resthaven Memorial Park Cemetery