Judith Dunlop Hardy

1935 - 2025

Judith Dunlop Hardy
June 26, 1935 - November 1, 2025
In Loving Memory of Judy Hardy, June 26, 1935 - November 1, 2025.
Judy Hardy had a smile that could disarm you and a way of making you feel seen. She remembered names, faces, anniversaries, and which book you'd just finished. She didn't just know the people around her, she cared.
Born in Liverpool, Ohio, on June 26, 1935, Judy moved with her family to Baltimore, where her early love of learning and curiosity about people began to take shape. She graduated from Gettysburg College and later earned a master's degree from Goucher College. In 1961, she married Neil Hardy, who would go on to become a celebrated medical illustrator.
In 1967, Judy and Neil moved to Westport, Connecticut, choosing the town for its strong public schools and progressive spirit. It quickly became home-and they never left. They lived on Woods Grove Road for 57 years, just steps from the Westport School of Music.
Judy loved music, loved education, and showed up for both. She was a devoted supporter of the Westport arts community, faithfully attending Candlelight Concerts, Orphenians, jazz band, and orchestra performances at Staples High School. Her children, John and Heather, were performers in those programs, but Judy kept attending long after they were grown and had moved away.
She worked as a teacher and later as the office manager for Dr. Lobel's dental practice, where she got to know generations of Westport families by name. Later, she spent many happy years at the front desk of the Westport Public Library, where her warmth and genuine interest made everyone feel welcome. She was never just being polite, she truly wanted to know how people were doing.
After retiring, she continued to give back. Judy served on the Board of the Westport Center for Senior Activities and led the Sunshine Committee, making sure cards, flowers, and condolences were sent to those going through life's harder moments. It was a perfect reflection of who she was- someone who quietly remembered what mattered to others.
She and Neil were active in their street association and treasured their longtime neighbors. Judy believed good neighbors didn't need fences-and she never built one. Mutual respect and kindness were how she moved through the world.
She is survived by her son, John Dunlop Hardy, and his wife, Jenny Hardy. Daughter, Heather Hardy and her son, Jacob Edward Hardy, and fiancée, Kiana Necoechea. As well as John's 3 children, Vanessa Marie Hardy, Jessica Alexandra Hardy and her husband, Colin Evans, and last, but certainly not least, John Dunlop Hardy Jr. (Jack). Her family was the center of her world and her greatest joy.
A Celebration of Life will be held in the spring or summer of 2026. Details to follow.
The family extends heartfelt thanks to the Westport community for the many happy years Judy spent there. She gave Westport her whole heart, and the town gave it right back.