Wayne Hardin

Wayne Hardin passed away at home in Urbana on January 2, 2019. He was born on the family farm in Wilburn, Arkansas on May 29, 1925, the youngest child of Robert and Mollie (Moreland) Hardin. He was predeceased by his parents and siblings: Olga, Alice, Mary, George, and his twin brother, Charles.

He married Wilma Martin on December 1, 1956; she survives. Also surviving are their four children, Molly Fay, Margaret “Maggie”, Phillip, and John, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Wayne graduated from Wilburn High School and served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Army Air Forces during WWII. After his discharge, he returned to Arkansas to build a house in town for his widowed mother and went on to graduate from Harding College.

In 1960, he began many years of self-employment as a general contractor in home construction and remodeling. With the help of his twin brother, he built two homes for his own family. As Wayne aged, his focus shifted to home-maintenance work. He made many friends while being an honest and meticulous worker.

Wayne especially enjoyed reading non-fiction books and visiting family in the southern and western United States. At one point, he served as the interim preacher at a Church of Christ in South Bend, Indiana. He volunteered as song-leader in other congregations, and he and Wilma hosted lively singings in their homes.

The family thanks his caregiver, Laura, and the Carle Hospice group. Memorials in Wayne’s name may be given to: Caring for Kenya, Carl Burkeybile, 3508 E. University, Urbana, IL 61802 or to Carle Hospice, Urbana. We hope to celebrate his life with numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends on Memorial Day 2019.

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