Ms. Ester Mae Hardy
Esther Mae Hardy was born in Brewton, Alabama on March 15, 1929 to the union of Andrew and Ella M. Hardy. She was the fifth of six children; three boys and three girls.
She was preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters: Dan C. Nichols, James A. Hardy, Mary Cheatham and Myrtise Hardy.
Her Education: Booker T. Washington School, and graduated from Southern Normal High School. She furthered her education at Alabama State College on a basketball scholarship.
She accepted Christ at an early age and joined Baptist Hill Missionary Baptist Church. As a member, she was an active matron, on the usher board, and drove the church van for the youth. She was a faithful member until her health failed; preventing her to attend church regularly. Even then, she would get the nursing home van to bring her from time to time.
Her Employment: She was supervisor at Brewton Fashions (Judy Bond) for many years until she retired.
Her Life: Esther Mae coached and played girls softball. She played second base for the Men’s All Star baseball team. She was the only female to play on that team. She enjoyed people, young and old. Every summer she took the girls and boys in the community to the grape farm in Damascus for summer fun. Her yard was the playground for the community kids. There they would play baseball and basketball.
She was active with the Alabama Democratic Conference and the NAACP. She was one of the original organizers of the Baptist Hill Cemetery Committee and a member of the Brewton Community Choir. As a resident of the nursing home, she was president of the Resident Council at West Gate Village Nursing Facility.
She leaves to cherish her memory a devoted brother, Robert S. (Bertha) Hardy; sister-in-law, Oreatha Hardy; nieces, Shirley (Bert) Barton, Maxine Arrington, Jackie (Rufus) Thames, Carmen (Tony) Lovelace, Tracie Hardy and Gussie Harris; nephews, Rufus Hardy, Harold (Alice) Hardy, Rodney Hardy, Tony (Juana) Hardy; special friends, Iris and Randy Jordan, Tracy Green, Yvonne Lester, Lynette Avant, Tammera Smith, Derrick Robinson and Wanda Riley and a host of great nieces and nephews, cousins and other friends.