Page 6
October 10, 2018
Obituary
In Loving Memory
In Loving Memory
George R. Walker III
Beverly Jean Welch Hardman
s unrise : s ePt . 9, 1951
s unset : s ePt . 15, 2018
A Celebration of Life
service for George R.
Walker II will be held
Sunday, Oct. 14 in north
Portland. For more infor-
mation and to see a full
obituary, visit TerryFam-
ilyFuneralHome.com.
Beverly Jean Welch Hardman, 96, passed away
peacefully in Tifton, Georgia on Sunday, Sept. 16,
2018 following a brief illness. She was born Dec. 4,
1921 to the late Ernest and Edith Welch.
Beverly and her four siblings
grew up in Portland. She was a
graduate of Scripps College and
earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine
Arts from the University of Wash-
ington, where, among her other in-
terests, she volunteered in service
to children with intellectual disabil-
ities. In 1944 she married the love
of her life, then-Lt. Commander Ira
S. Hardman Jr. of the U.S. Navy,
who gained notoriety among her
college friends by flying his air-
plane low over her campus and
dropping her love notes. Ira was a
1939 graduate of the U.S. Naval
Academy in Annapolis, Maryland,
and served his country as a pilot
stationed on the U.S.S. Enterprise
in the Pacific theater.
Beverly and Ira raised their five children in West
Virginia and Virginia, where Beverly quickly became
known for her gracious and caring ways. She loved
life and laughed easily, never failing to entertain oth-
ers with her many stories of small mishaps or minor
humorous calamities. She was well-known both for
her marvelous stories and also for her talented artis-
tic skills. She was an accomplished artist in pastels
and oils, specializing in portraits and still life. She
had a keen eye for noticing and accentuating beauty,
whether in her artwork or in her ability to see the
best in others. At the time of her passing, hundreds
of people stated that she had helped them during a
particularly difficult time, whether via a kind word
or by acting as substitute mother or grandmother.
She devoted a significant portion of her life to the
ministry, first at the Sapa Christian Center in Eupo-
ra, Miss. and Copper Center, Alaska, and later at the
Bowens Mill Christian Community in Fitzgerald,
Ga. Her work led her into contact with many who
were able to experience her unique ability to in-
fluence others. She will always be remembered as
the person who could do and teach anything, from
pottery to macramé to manners class to culinary
skills—and who saw the best in everyone she met.
Beverly was preceded in death by her husband;
her infant son Gordon Hardman;
her sister Ardis Somerville; and
her brothers Don, Robert and
Gordon Welch. She is survived
by her children and their spouses:
Lawrence Davisson Hardman
of Bluemont, Va., Scott Welch
Hardman (Beth Ann Barbour) of
Coleman, Fla., Ira Sobisca Hard-
man, III (Kimberly Lynn) of Ea-
gle River, Alaska, Nancy Ardis
Hardman Koss (Carl Peter) of
Ellensburg, Wash., and Elizabeth
Webb Hardman Stroud (Gilbert
Ritchey) of Verona, Wisc.; her
grandchildren: Jubilee Elizabeth
Hardman, Benjamin Lawrence
Hardman (Shallon), Ian Davis-
son Hardman, Terrence Stanton
Hardman (Erika), Autumn Lynn Hardman Star-
ra (Jean Phillippe), George Taylor Pinson (Alex
Bates), Lauren Brooke Koss Christenson (Jeff),
Mark Steven Meives, Ryan Alden Meives (Anna
Marie), and Wesley Lawrence Meives; and her
great-grandchildren: Paris Laine Dowdy, Ethan
Hardman, Reagan Bishop Lee Hardman, Harrison
Cruz Hardman, Indie Lauryn Christensen, Kaiya
Sage Meives, and Kingston Bodhi Meives.
Private memorial services were held Sept. 17 at
the Paulk Funeral Home in Fitzgerald, and Sept. 23
at the Pine Ridge Christian Fellowship in Bowens
Mill, Ga. Inurnment was at Portland Memorial
Mausoleum.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor
Mrs. Hardman by taking a moment to see and call
out the best in someone in need. To sign the online
registry, visit paulkfuneralhome.com.