William C. Hardy's Obituary
William Carey Hardy was the 5th and final child and third son born on February 21, 1928, to Dudley Hardy, a hardware store owner, and Ruth Hollingsworth Hardy, a homemaker and artist, in Norman, Oklahoma. Just as the Great Depression was emerging, his father, Dudley Hardy, unexpectantly passed away at the age of 45, when Carey was two years old. Ruth raised her five children as a single mother on her public-school teacher’s salary with the help of her large extended family in Southern Oklahoma and Northern Texas. Carey spent summers with Alda and Ward Francis, his aunt and uncle, working on their family farm in Howe, Texas. Carey often reminisced about growing up humble but happy, with his “hard-working yet always-positive” mother and four older siblings
Carey began his early education in Fox, Oklahoma in the school system where his mother taught. His family later moved to nearby Paul’s Valley, Oklahoma where he graduated from Paul’s Valley High School. Upon graduation, Ruth Hardy gave him permission to join the military just as World War II was winding down. He wanted to see the world and, more importantly, earn a means to attend college through the GI Bill. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1945 and was honorably discharged in 1948.
Carey became a lifelong OU Sooner when he attended The University of Oklahoma (OU), earning Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Petroleum Engineering in 1952 and 1953, respectively. While attending a student group dinner at the Methodist Church in Norman, Oklahoma, Carey met Mildred Kellene Johnson, of Ponca City, Oklahoma. They were married on September 1, 1950, a marriage which spanned 71 years. The young couple moved to Richardson, Texas in 1954 when Carey accepted a research position with Sun Oil Company. They created a family of four children known as the “Four D’s”- Debbie (1953), David (1955), Diana (1959) and Doug (1966).
Continuing higher education was a lifelong passion for Carey, earning a Master’s Degree in Mathematics from Southern Methodist University in Dallas in the 1960’s and an MBA degree in International Business from the University of Dallas in 1974. Carey ran reservoir management and thermal oil recovery projects for Sun Oil over his 32-year career. He was awarded 20 US and 15 foreign patents, including origination and refinement of in-situ combustion for oil recovery. He published numerous scientific articles and authored a book, Energy Economics, in 1977. His work took him all over the globe, including Canada, Brazil, Iraq, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia. He enjoyed acquainting himself with local culture during his travels and then telling of his experiences upon his return.
Along with work, Carey also enjoyed traveling with his family. Here are a few of our memories of family vacations:
· Continuous vacation to Key West, FL - During Spring Break 1965 our family wanted to go to the beach. Only Dad knew our itinerary. The next thing we knew, we drove to New Orleans. While there we went to Café Du Monde and ate beignets. Then we drove to Panama City to swim in the ocean. We encountered jelly fish there, so we drove south, all the way to Key West, FL – for a week’s vacation! We drove up the east coast and visited St. Augustine, FL. Then we drove all the way home to Richardson.
· Expo ’67: During the summer of 1967, we drove to Washington DC, New York City, Niagara Falls and into Montreal, Quebec. During our sightseeing, we got to see the Capitol Bldg., the Mall, climbed up the Washington Monument, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Bldg., among others. While in NYC, we were waiting for a parking spot. The driver had her car in ‘reverse’ with the back-up lights on but was stalling. Dad got out of our car, went up and knocked on the window. As the woman rolled down the window, Dad asked, “’Y’all fixin’ to pull out?” She looked at him strangely, rolled the window up, and never said a word. While at the Expo we saw many new inventions and cultural norms.
· Six-week long vacation to Canada: During the summer of 1969 we drove north through the Plains States. We went to Yellowstone, WY, Grand Tetons, WY, Glacier National Park, MT, camping the whole way. We ended up in the big city of Calgary, Alberta, and saw the Calgary Rodeo. It was funny when we realized we had driven all the way from Texas to Canada, to see a rodeo!!! We finished up that trip by driving west to British Columbia. Then south through Washington, Oregon, and California. Then back East home. This is the trip that always reminds us of the movie “Vacation”.
· Driving trip through Mexico: During the summer of 1975, Dad, Mom, Diana, and Doug drove south, through Brownsville, TX. We stayed in small hotels in Monterrey, MX, and along the way. We had not traveled this route before, and we learned a lot about how people live in the interior of Mexico. We drove on to Mexico City and to Acapulco. Although it was quite a vacation, a trip like this probably would not be recommended now-a-days.
There were many special holiday traditions in the Hardy family including Mother’s Day, and July Fourth. But Christmas was a special holiday. We had lots to do to prepare for this occasion: buy a tree, decorate it, put up house decorations, put up lights, buy food, make Christmas goodies. As a family, we recited the Christian advent on Sunday evenings. We went to church on Christmas Eve. We opened family presents when we got home. Santa came to visit the next day. We had Christmas dinner. What a wonderfully busy time.
Carey also volunteered in numerous activities and organizations with his children including coaching sports teams, Indian Guides, Methodist Youth Fellowship, and Boy Scouts. He served as a Boy Scouts scoutmaster and scouting leader for many years.
He is survived by his wife, Mildred Kellene Johnson Hardy. Daughters Deborah Bednar (Will Bednar) of Orange, TX, and Diana Hardy Westmoreland (Jim Westmoreland) of Santa Fe, NM. Sons William David Hardy, MD of Los Angeles, CA and Robert Douglas Hardy, MD (Michelle Lowery Hardy) of Plano, TX. Grandchildren Brandon Hardy, Ethan Hardy, and Ashley Hardy of Plano, TX.
A “Celebration of Life” will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, December 3, 2021. at the First United Methodist Church of Richardson, 503 N. US 75-Central Expressway. In lieu of flowers the family is requesting donations to the Boy Scouts of America in Carey’s honor.
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