George B. Hardy

George B. Hardy, father, grandfather, husband, and a proud veteran of the United States Air Force, passed away March 24, 2023. The son of George S. Hardy and Margaret Boyd Hardy grew up in Chicago, IL. He was born October 9, 1928 and attended Lane Tech High School and Northwestern University.

At the age of 18, George enlisted in the Air Force during World War II and was stationed in the South Pacific. George valued this service highly and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant  As as a result of his service, George was awarded the World War II Victory Medal. George went on to become Director of Logistics at Littelfuse Inc., in Des Plaines, IL where he made lifelong friends. After retirement, George remained active by competing in the 26 mile Chicago marathon and he continued his passion for fitness with long distance biking and membership at the Foglia YMCA.

George is survived by Caroline Peterson (Daughter), Cathleen Dust (Daughter), his grandchildren, Nikki (Peterson), Carly (Dust), and Alison (Dust), great granddaughter Emma, along with many granddogs. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Rita (Hadeler), whom he met on a blind date and grandson, Jack (Peterson).

His loved ones will remember his empathy and compassion for others, his humorous wit and sharp intelligence, his high ethical standards, his honesty and belief to always do the right thing, his ability to fix anything, and his enormous love for his family and pets. A strong Democrat and political connoisseur, he valued the fundamental beliefs and constitutional principles of our society, including life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, justice, equality, diversity, truth, popular sovereignty, patriotism, and the rule of law. He emulated JFK’s belief that we need to “treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated."

Visitation honoring the life of George Hardy will be held Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 4 pm until the time of service at 7:30 pm at Davenport Family Funeral Home 941 S. Old Rand Road Lake Zurich, IL 60047.