John Wayne Hardy

John Wayne Hardy, age 83, passed away Monday, June 17, 2024.

John was born May 23, 1941, in Rushville, Illinois to Wayne and Mildred (Sage) Hardy.

John married Delores Sams on April 21, 1961. Their union was blessed with six children and many grandchildren. They lived in several places within Iowa as he worked as a farmhand and handyman. Later he worked at WoodLink and retired from Osceola Foods.

John graduated from Grand River High School in 1960. Many years later, in 1995, he and Delores earned their Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Buena Vista University, Creston campus.

John enjoyed helping others without asking for anything in return. One of his occupations in the last several years was helping carry books from wherever Delores found them, to wherever she decided to sell them, along with researching the value of those books. The books, and later socks, were the major items at their Iowa State Fair Flea Market space for more than 20 years. Beyond his work he will be remembered for his enjoyment of fishing, camping, and spending time with his family, as well as his sense of humor and his plaid shirts.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Delores Hardy; Children: Jolene Druivenga of Altoona, IA; JoAnn Bloemendaal (Nolan) of Florence, OR; John Hardy, Jr. (Tina) of Perry, IA; Jayne Meservey (Jimmy) of Chula, MO; Dreama Preston (T.Mark) of Wendell, NC; Dallas Hardy (Amanda) of Lula, GA. ; 17 Grandchildren, 24 Great-Grandchildren, and two Great-Great Grandchildren, as well as many others who adopted John along the way. Siblings: Lee Hardy (Charlotte) of Powell, WY and Linda Gross (Steve) of Wright, WY; sister-in-law, June Aalbers of Kirkville, IA; and many nieces, nephews, family and friends.

John was preceded in death by his parents; son-in-law Joel Druivenga (Jolene); Rodney Doser (JoAnn); Grandson Bobby Barnhart; siblings Sue Stanley, Bill Hardy, Bob Hardy, Butch Hardy, PeeWee Hardy and Goldie Rhodes; his in-laws, John & Doris Sams; Bert Cornelison; Linda Noland; John Sams, Jr.; Roy Sams.

Services will be held on Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Hamilton’s Altoona Funeral Home, 105 4th Street SW, Altoona. Visitation will be held from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Funeral service will begin at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow at Laurel Hill Cemetery. For those unable to attend the service in person, it will be livestreamed through John’s obituary listing on Hamilton’s website: www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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