| Notes |
- General Notes: The Lammon Tree B&D-Social Security Death Index.
The following note is contributed by Eva Dell Freeman, daughter-in-law.
In 1986, Irene wanted to recall and collect material about her life with Bill Hardwick, and she asked Eva to help her. Drawing on Irene's memory, which would come and go at the age of 88, Eva wrote a lengthy paper, 30 pages in longhand. The following consists of parts of that paper, written by Eva, being condensed, paraphrased, excerpted and quoted by your editor. -EBL.
In Arkansas in 1947, Bill Hardwick was holding revival meetings in Eva's home church as well as surrounding towns and communities and it was in this setting that Eva became acquainted with him. She was in awe of his talents and abilities. After marrying into the Hardwick family in 1947, her opinions were confirmed, as she found WFH to be, "as nearly a perfect human being as was, or is, possible." She said that he always kept a steady pace, never seeming to let circumstances move him, nor time influence a decision. He thought things through, prayed a lot and, as a result "his decisions were 99.9 percent correct." Bill was born in 1887 in Webster County, Georgia. He was pretty smart as a boy and enjoyed helping his dad and younger brothers on the farm. Bill would tell the story about when, on a hot, sticky day one summer, out in the field, he stuck a lizard into his brother's mouth Of course, he had hold of the tail so his little brother couldn't swallow it. After telling the story, Bill would admit that it was a bad thing to do. "He practiced good eating habits - proper rest, and some good brisk walking were at the head of his list. You could set your clock by his 15-minute naps each day. Just 15 minutes - he relaxed the second he laid his head down and in 15 minutes he would wake up refreshed and sharp. "All these things he managed to do to maintain good physical and mental health - to feel good, to be able to think clearly. These were very important - all the better to serve God and his fellow man. At the same time he really enjoyed life. He laughed a lot but then he could be very serious, especially when it came to spiritual things. Dad had the ability to associate himself with an "intellectual" or with the much less fortunate person."
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1887 - 1966 (79 years)
d. 24 Apr 1988, Panama City Beach, Bay County, Florida, US 