William "Hardy" Barton, III

WILLIAM HARDIN BARTON, III passed away on February 17, 2026, at the age of 81. Known to most as Hardy, he was a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, cherished father-in-law, brother, uncle, cousin, and loyal friend.

Hardy was born on August 31, 1944, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Hugh and Edna Earl Barton. A lifelong Memphian, he attended Snowden, Central High School, and Memphis State University. He proudly served in the Tennessee Air National Guard with the 155th Air Weather Service attached to the 164th Air Guard Unit.

Following his military service, Hardy worked for several years as a uniform patrol officer with the Memphis Police Department. After moving to Germantown in 1978, he continued his service as a reserve officer with the Germantown Police Department. He later joined the family business, Barton Scaffolding Service, where he served as sales manager and engineer. After the business was sold, Hardy became branch manager for the Memphis sales area with Patent Scaffolding Company.

When the local branch relocated, Hardy transitioned into part-time work as a computer draftsman for several firms, including Perkins Family Restaurants, Pickering Engineering, and ETL Engineering. He then spent several years as a CAD designer with AZO, Inc., designing and installing conveying systems for the bakery and pharmaceutical industries. Hardy later worked full-time with SCI Funeral Services at Memphis Funeral Home, while also providing part-time site data drafting services for SCS Environmental Group in Olive Branch, Mississippi.

An avid sportsman, Hardy enjoyed golf, rugby, racquetball, baseball, softball, and hockey. He was a long-time member of the Old No. 7 Memphis Rugby Club, but his greatest passion was ice hockey. Hardy proudly served as an off-ice official for the Memphis/Mississippi RiverKings for 24 years and also played on the Memphis Eagles Adult Travel Team.

Hardy was preceded in death by his parents, Hugh and Edna Earl Barton. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Patricia (Sabbatini) Barton; daughters Jennifer (Barton) Klein of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Hilary Barton (Wes Mason) of Cocoa Beach, Florida; Alexis Barton of Germantown, Tennessee; and Leslie Barton of Germantown, Tennessee; grandchildren Madison and Mackenzie Klein; and his sister, Sandra Gibbs of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Memorial services for friends and family will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.