Jay Hardy

Jay Hardy, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away peacefully on January 24, 2025, at the age of 87, following a brief illness. Born on March 15, 1937, in Waco Texas. Dad lived a life of hard work and dedication to the gospel of Jesus Christ as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Following high school, Dad attended and graduated from Brigham Young University, earning a degree in accounting and achieving his CPA license in 1960, a profession he practiced for over 50 years. He also served his country in the Army Reserves for 3 years.
Dad married Shirley Jean Reynolds in 1958 (later divorced) and raised 3 children in whom he instilled the values of hard work and fulfilling your commitments.
In 1973 Dad married the love of his life, Alice Rae Doctor. Together they completed the job of raising Dads' three children before venturing out and exploring the world on tours, cruises and road trips Dad was devoted to Alice and together they shared over 51 years of love and companionship. She misses Dad very much.
One of Dad's passions was for vintage cars, specifically the Ford Thunderbird and the Ford Mustang. Dad restored several Mustangs over the years and even won an award or two for his restoration skills at Mustang shows. A special project he completed with his brother- in- law Tommy Counter was the work they did on our Ford Falcon. In 1967 he and Tommy successfully swapped out the Falcon's V-6 engine for a V-8 that just purred. Their work was featured in "Hot Rod" magazine that year. He and Tommy also shared a love of "Tommy's Burgers" in southern California, where Dad was one of their original customers.
Throughout his life, Dad was known for his unwavering integrity, work ethic, and deep sense of responsibility. Dad's membership in his church and his dedication to the service of the Lord was a central theme of his life. Dad's love of the Savior and his testimony of the gospel were his guiding principles. Dad's greatest joy were the countless hours he served in various callings, including Bishopric member, High Priests group leader and home teacher. He also served for nearly 20 years as a Fresno Temple worker, as well as Ward Clerk. He served his Fresno 5th Ward family and friends for nearly 50 years.
Jay is survived by his 3 children: Malinka (Curt) Andersen; Beth Hansen; Rick Hardy. He also leaves behind 5 grandchildren: Eddie; Cameron; Blake (Stephanie); Steven; Jenna (Jill), as well as several great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents Ernie and Fern, sister Darlene and son-in-law Frank.
The family wishes to thank the members of the Fresno 5th Ward for their many hours of service to Dad and Alice during this challenging time in their lives. Their love and support have truly been a blessing to us. We are also so very grateful for the kind and loving care shown to Dad and Alice by their very dear friend Nadine, who was there for them every step of the way.
We're not going to say goodbye Dad, only so long for now. We know that Dad is at peace now and happily reunited with family and friends. We also know that Dad was welcomed into heaven with the words, "well done, thou good and faithful servant". We know that one fine day, we will all be joyfully reunited.