Mr. William A. Hardy

September 19, 1953 - July 16, 2018

William A. Hardy Loving Husband, Father, and Grandfather TYNGSBOROUGH—William A. Hardy, 64, passed away on Monday evening, July 16, 2018, enveloped in the love of his family, after living with esophageal cancer for the past 2 ½ years. Bill was married to the love of his life, his best friend, Kathleen Neylon, having celebrated their 41th wedding anniversary this past June. Together they relish their life’s work nurturing their family, including their children, Christine and Timothy, the joyful addition to their family of their son-in-law Tim Brown, and their grandchildren Claire and Emma, all of whom are a never ending source of love, pride, and joy. Bill was the son of the late Doris and Asa Hardy. He was the grandson of the late Nora Petros and part of a large, extended family who instilled in him the love of family, faith in God, and a strong work ethic. Bill was proud to have been born and raised in Lowell, where he enjoyed growing up in the golden age of being a kid in Middle America and was proud to be a product of the Lowell Public Schools. He graduated from Merrimack College and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware. What Bill loved most was spending time with family and friends, especially his cherished Claire and Emma. He loved to laugh and to make others laugh. Bill was never above embellishing a story a bit to get the “cheap laugh.” Bill enjoyed cooking for his family and friends, and gathering around the table to enjoy each other’s company. He was proud to have learned to prepare many of the foods that were part of his Lebanese heritage. He and Kathy loved to host family gatherings and holiday celebrations at their home. Bill loved the annual family vacations at the beach, as a child at Hampton, then with Kathy and the kids at Seabrook, then York Beach, and most recently with the kids and grandkids at York Beach. He also cherished the time he and Kathy spent at their little beach cottage in Wells, Maine, walking, reading, and just “being” – it was their little slice of heaven. After the kids were through school, Kathy and Bill enjoyed special vacations to Ireland, Italy, Hawaii, and an unforgettable family trip to Disney for Thanksgiving week 2016. Bill recently retired from a 42 year career in retail banking. He joked that he had only one job, but that through the mergers and acquisitions of a tumultuous time on the banking industry, he worked for seven banks. He began his career as a teller at the smallest bank in Lowell, Lowell Bank and Trust, and retired as a Senior Vice President from the 20th largest bank in the world, Santander. Bill held dearly to the lessons he learned at the Lowell Bank and Trust, the focus on community, the people he worked with, and customers; and carried them through to the large banks throughout his career. His work in banking afforded Bill the opportunity to serve on the board of directors of several nonprofits through the years including The Salvation Army of Lowell, Lowell House, The Lowell Plan, The YMCA of Lawrence, the Distribution Committee of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, The Northern Essex Community College Foundation, and most recently the Christopher Reusch Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Bill was especially proud to have been able to leverage the financial resources of the large banks where he worked, matching these resources to the needs of the nonprofit community serving the Merrimack Valley. Over the years, this resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars of support flowing to the community that meant so much to Bill. In addition to Kathy, Bill is survived by his children, Dr. Christine Brown and Timothy Hardy; his son-in-law, Timothy Brown; his granddaughters Claire and Emma; his brother, Michael Hardy and his wife Barbara, and his niece Allison Hardy. Bill leaves many first cousins as part of the Petros clan, especially those with whom Billy and Mike grew up: Tommy, Dave, Jerry, Richie, Andrea, Diane, Greg, and Stevie. Bill also leaves his sister-in-law, Nancy DiPasquale and her daughter Megan DiPasquale; his best friend since the 4th grade, Leo Gendron and his wife Rosemarie, and their children, Colleen Neu, Bill’s godchild Beth Hogan, and Matthew Gendron; also his very dear friends, John and Susan Lee. Bill was predeceased by his parents Doris and Asa, his mother-in-law and father-in-law Daniel and Millicent Neylon, and his brother-in-law, Daniel Neylon, Jr. FUNERAL NOTICE HARDY—In Tyngsborough, July 16, 2018 at his home, William A. Hardy, 64, the beloved husband of Kathleen R. (Neylon) Hardy. Family and friends may call at the FAY McCABE FUNERAL HOME, 105 MOORE STREET, LOWELL on THURSDAY from 4 until 8 PM. Bill’s Funeral will begin on FRIDAY MORNING at 9 o’clock from the Funeral Home, followed by his FUNERAL MASS at 10 o’clock at ST. RITA’S CHURCH, 158 Mammoth Road, Lowell. Burial will follow in the Lowell Cemetery. As an expression of sympathy, donations in Bill’s memory may be made to the Christopher Reusch Memorial Scholarship Fund, C/o Bruce Reusch, 165 East St. Clinton MA 01510 or to Memorial Gifts in memory of Bill Hardy to support cancer research and patient care at: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston MA 02284. www.dana-Farber.org/gift ARRANGEMENTS BY THE FAY McCABE FUNERAL DIRECTORS 978-459-9222 www.faymccabe.com