Obituary of Nella Kathryn Hardy

Talladega – Nella Kathryn Batts Hardy was born May 29, 1927 in Limestone County, Alabama and went home to Jesus April 13, 2021. Funeral service for Mrs. Hardy will be on Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 2:00 pm at Stockdale Baptist Church with Kevin Jones and David Gaither officiating. Visitation will be from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm on Sunday at the church. Interment will be at Stockdale Baptist Cemetery. She is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, William H. (Bill) Hardy; her parents, John C. Batts and Minnie Gilbert Batts; four sisters; and two brothers. She is survived by her children, Johnny R. Hardy (Kristie) of Talladega, Juanita H. Ardis (Floyd) of Talladega; one sister, Emily Johnson of Talladega; one adopted daughter, Carol Travis Butler of Lincoln; eleven grandchildren, John Ray Hardy Jr., William Matthew Ardis (Brenda), Emilie Claire Ardis Dobbs (Scott), Lang Horn, Kelli Tipton, Kristi Gaither, William Thomas (Tommy) Ardis, Christina Ardis Evans, Mark Thompson (Chasety), Will McCormick, and one promoted grandson, Brent Bradley; nine great-grandchildren, Alex Horn, Arden Horn, Alayna Horn, Tyler Gaither Belcher, Blake Greenwood, Mikah Evans, Catherine Evans, Logan Burdette, Bella Burdette; six great-great-grandchildren, King Brown, Legend Brown, Kimberly Greenwood, Greyson Belcher, Savannah Thompson, Wyatt Smith-McCormick; a host of nieces and nephews; and a number of cherished friends. Mrs. Hardy was a Child of the King since early childhood and a good and faithful servant to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To say she loved Jesus is an understatement. She was a member of Stockdale Baptist Church for 36 years and taught the Senior Ladies Sunday School Class for most of those years. Up until Covid pandemic halted in person worship, she was faithful to be at church every Sunday. She loved her family and wanted them at her house at every opportunity. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter were always celebrated in her home as well as every Sunday after church. She always did the cooking, and some would say her fried chicken, cornbread, and chocolate cake was pretty good. She loved Alabama and Auburn football and Atlanta Braves baseball. She enjoyed all the re-runes of MASH, Andy Griffith, and In the Heat of the Night. Her biggest passion was her greeting card ministry. She made homemade cards – Birthday, Anniversary, Encouragement, Get Well, Thinking of You, etc. She cut pictures and poems out of magazines and pasted onto cardstock and sent these to people. She had a mailing list complete with all the information she needed to mail these cards every week. I would bet she mailed 20 to 30 cards per month. This ministry gave her purpose. She truly felt she was making a difference in people’s lives and from the testimonies of people I have talked to, she did make a difference. Another great passion of course was her witness of Jesus. She was bold in her witness and always asked, “Do you know Jesus – Do you have a personal relationship with him?” If the answer was no, then she would say “I’ll be praying for you. She never was shy calling sin – sin and would let us know that we needed to “get back to God.” I am sure there are many people that she led to salvation in the Lord by her persistence in witnessing, prayers, and the example she lived in her daily life. Pallbearers will be John Ray Hardy Jr., William Matthew Ardis, William Thomas Ardis, Mark Thompson, Will McCormick, and Gary Edmondson. Honorary Pallbearers will be Stockdale Baptist Church deacons, Reavie Reeves, Francis Curlee, Tony Miller, and Scottie Bishop. The family of Mrs. Hardy would like to give special thanks to the staff of Lakeside Hospice for the care of their mother. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Annie Armstrong Easter offering at Stockdale Baptist Church. Online condolences may be offered at www.usreyfuneralhome.com Usrey Funeral Home in Talladega will direct services.