Helen Bernice Hardey

Helen “Billy” Hardey, of Longview, WA; taken to our Lord on Friday, May 12, 2023 after battling dementia for several years. She was proceeded in death by her husband, Harry C. Hardey; her parents John T. and Millie Hardy and her five older sisters.  She is survived by her three children Harry, John and Helen, 8 grand children and 16 great grand children.    Helen was born at home October 10 ,1929 in Newton County Texas. 

When her older sister “Johnny” started school, she tagged along and set at a desk like her big sister.  Being a one room school, the teacher had wide latitude in enforcing the rules.  She allowed Helen to continue attending, figuring she would get tired of school and quit.  Helen didn’t and graduated high school at the age of fourteen. 

Living on a farm in East Texas during the depression had some benefits.  When asked how things were during the depression, she said she could not tell much difference.  They had very little money before the depression and still had very little money during the depression.

Helen and her husband of over fifty years, Harry volunteered at the Federal Way and Des Moines Food banks for years.  After Harry’s passing in 1996 she continued volunteering for another twenty years.

Helen and Harry enjoyed traveling in their RV.  They toured all over the US, Canada and Mexico with the Airstream Caravan Club and on their own.    

Helen loved gardening and hated slugs (because they ate her flowers).  For a while she was at war with the squirrels as they would dig up her bulbs and plant them somewhere else (like the middle of her yard or worse yet in the middle of her neighbor’s yard).  That feud ended when she moved in with her son Harry and his wife Donna in Rosburg.   No squirrels there, but the deer ate most everything but loved her roses the most.  She also enjoyed the lunches and visiting with the Rosburg Seniors

She was watering the plants one afternoon and slipped and fell. In the fall, her hip was broken.  After surgery, she went to Americana Care Facility for rehab.  It was also determined her dementia had advance past the point Harry and Donna could continue to care for her.  This was the fall of 2017 and she has resided there until her death.  More than one of the staff at Americana Health and Rehab in Longview commented that “she was one tough Texas woman”.  When she first went into hospice care last June, it didn’t look like her son that lived in Houston, would have a chance to visit her before her passing.  He was able to make four trips out to visit her.  During that time, she had cheated the undertaker at least five times.  One tough lady who will be missed, but not forgotten.

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