Louette Hardegree

After living an astonishing 100+ years, Louette Craig Hardegree passed from this earth on February 3, 2025. Louette had a wonderful childhood in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the daughter of Early Leon Craig and Daisy Williams Craig, and sister of Dwight L. Craig. She followed in her mother's footsteps by attending Georgia College in Milledgeville when it was still an all-girls school. After graduation, she married William Ellis Hardegree, Jr. and the couple moved to Nashville where she attended Peabody College to study library science. Back in Atlanta, she taught English and French and served as librarian at Avondale High School.

After working for several years at the Emory University library she embarked on her dream job in the reference department of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she worked for almost four decades. A newspaper was "oh, so interesting," according to Louette who added, "I like books, but looking up things for the news is exciting."

Yes, she loved the news! While on vacation, she'd purchase every newspaper she could find and read them front page to back page. Her insatiable curiosity and sponge-like memory enabled her to provide AJC reporters with astonishing amounts of accurate details on the spot, but, of course, she'd always "look it up and check it out" to make sure she was correct.

After retirement she waltzed into Fred Astaire dance studios, and she couldn't get enough. Louette reveled in learning and then teaching dances such as the Salsa, Hustle, East and West Coast Swing, Rumba, Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Quickstep, and Viennese Waltz among others. Well into her eighties, each week Louette could be found stepping, waltzing, strutting, shuffling and shimmying at the studio and on the occasional dance-filled excursions with the group.

Louette also put her heart into her ongoing volunteer work for Glenn Memorial Methodist Church, the College Park Women's Club, and her alma mater, Georgia College.

A true southern belle, known for her manners and hospitality, kindness and compassion, joke-telling and charm, Louette made everyone feel special, but none more so than her daughters, Irita Cook (Larry), Decatur, GA and Tamara Lopata (Michael), Atlanta, GA. She was never too busy to listen, to guide, to console, to help, or simply to love her daughters in any way she could. Her heart for her family continued to grow when she was blessed with grandchildren Paul Cook (Elizabeth), Huntsville, AL; Jason Cook, Atlanta; Trenton Lopata, Atlanta; and Marisa Lopata, Atlanta, and great-granddaughters Erin, Ellie and Emery Cook, Huntsville, AL.



While achy shoulders and uncooperative feet ended Louette's days of dancing too soon, she is surely dancing again to the beautiful music of a heavenly band.

The family will hold a Celebration of Life for Louette on Sunday, March 23, 2025, from 2:00-4:00pm at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church (1660 N Decatur Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30307). All those who wish to come and share stories and memories of Louette are invited.

It was Louette's wish that any memorial tributes be made in the form of charitable donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.