Joyce Marie Hardy

Joyce Marie Hardy, age 79 of Glendale Arizona, passed away on September 2, 2020 at Advanced Hospice of Arizona. She was the loving wife of Bill Hardy for 62 years, and devoted mother to their three children Vickie, Doug and Lisa. Born in Auburn California, on April 3, 1941, she was the first daughter to Val McKinlay and Marie Jones McKinlay. She was raised in Idaho and had two brothers, Lyle (Mak) and Gene, and two sisters Sharon and Marlene (Mickey). She met Bill in 1956 in Idaho Falls when she was just a Sophomore in High School. They married on June 30, 1958 after only a two-week engagement. At that point her family grew to include the Hardy's, Milt and Von her father and mother-in-law who she loved dearly, and Delmer and Jean, her brother and sister-in-law. From Idaho Falls, while Bill was in the service, the newlyweds moved to Spokane Washington, later to Puntzi Mountain British Columbia, Canada, back to Idaho Falls, then onto Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1967 Joyce and Bill took a leap of faith and moved to Phoenix Arizona. This is where they called home from that time on. In the early years Joyce enjoyed staying at home with her children while they were small, the...[more]

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ater went on to have wonderful careers with Avon, Fuller Brush and Shamrock Foods. Joyce was a social butterfly and made friends wherever she went. And boy did she know how to pick them...once a friend...forever a friend. She cherished her family and friends and knew that every day was a blessing. She was so grateful for the life that she had, and made every day count. She was always busy organizing events whether it be the next road trip, a family celebration, or a party...she was on it! At some point our family was dubbed "The Hardy Party" and it stuck. We've joked with friends, wondering how anything will ever get done without her. She loved being in nature and camping. It didn't matter if she was in the mountains or on a beach, her sanctuary was outdoors. Many of our most cherished memories include camping trips with friends in Arizona and Mexico. She especially loved her time in San Diego, Forest Lakes and Tonto Basin. She was a wonderful cook and baker, and has passed these skills on to her grandchildren through their annual "Bake Day with Grammy" which she hosts every Christmas. She loved Christmas. Her salsa recipe is famous! She enjoyed playing cards and games. She also loved memory keeping, scrapbooking and making handmade cards for friends and family. Thanks to her passion for memory keeping we are blessed with thousands of photos organized into scrapbooks for our forever enjoyment and remembrance. She was very crafty and loved to sew, do embroidery, make quilts...just about anything. Perhaps the best times in her life arrived when she became a "Grammy". She loved her grandchildren with all of her heart: Jessica, Brittany, Caili, Kyle, Devon and Austin...and her great-grandchildren Brooklyn, Nathan and Rhett. She was expecting to meet her forth great grandchild, baby girl Sainz in March. The real story of her life though, is the love she shared with Bill. Together they displayed the most beautiful journey. They showed all of us the importance of loving unconditionally, and forever. They modeled the family spirit and created a roadmap for us all to follow in our own lives. And they showed us the importance of friendships. We knew Joyce as "Joyce" "Joycee" "Mom" "Grammy" and "Aunt Joyce". She was intelligent, funny and beautiful. And, she was a woman of strong faith. We are forever grateful for her presence in our lives, and the gift of her love. Joyce is preceded in death by her mother Marie, her father Val, sister Sharon, brother Gene, and many cherished friends who have gone before her. She is survived by her husband Bill, children Vickie, Doug and Lisa along with their spouses Karen and Jim, her grandchildren Jessica, Brittany, Caili, Kyle, Devon and Austin, spouses John and Nick, great grandchildren Brooklyn, Nathan, Rhett, and Baby Girl Sainz, also her brother Mak, and her sister Mickey.