DONNA MAE HARDISON
Donna Mae Hardison, of Groesbeck, passed away at Groesbeck LTC on Thursday, November 15, 2018, at age 83.
Funeral services were held on Sunday, November 18, 2018 in the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, with Reverend Clifton Jones of the Prairie Grove Baptist Church officiating. Burial followed in LaSalle Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Don Hardison, Pat Hardison, Larry Hardison, Burt Williams, Chris Henegar, and Jerry Milam.
Donna was born January 2, 1935 to Clarence Keene and Ruth Fridley Keene in Rockford, Illinois, where she grew up and graduated from school.
Years later, while Donna was working in Memphis, Tennessee, she met Ray Hardison who was also working there. Donna and Wayland Ray Hardison were united in marriage in her hometown of Rockford, IL on September 2, 1972.
Donna made Ray promise to not ever make her live where there was snow and ice so he moved them to Austin, TX. where he worked for the police department. But during the first winter in Austin, they were surprised with 8 inches of snow as well as ice and no snow plows. Their son Pat was born in Austin, and since Ray was on duty at the time, he drove Donna to the hospital for Pat’s birth in his patrol car.
They moved to Cedar Park in 1975 where Ray was the first police chief. Donna worked at the Travis County Clerk’s office for 15 years. When Ray retired in 1988, they moved to Limestone County, in the LaSalle community, and lived the rest of their life in the same house in which Ray was born. Donna worked for eight years as a Secretary for the Texas Department of Public Safety in Groesbeck, until retiring in 2001.
Donna enjoyed family and enjoyed life. She made many friends, being a congenial person, and enjoyed talking with people while she was a Mary Kay consultant and sold diet supplements. She was never known to have an enemy in the 48 years Ray knew her, and an even greater compliment of her life was that she and Ray never quarreled. She was a member of the Prairie Grove Baptist Church.
Mrs. Hardison was preceded in death by her parents; and Ray’s parents, Alvis Ray “Babe” Hardison and Mozelle Abbott and great-grandson Trevor Bludell.
She is survived by her husband, Ray Hardison of Groesbeck; sons and daughters-in-law, Don and Debra Hardison of Copperas Cove and Pat and Peggy Hardison of Benbrook; Donna Clark, Pam Malott of Cedar Park, Patricia Saunders of Rockford, IL, and Kathy Hoover of Cedar Park; 11 grandchildren, Wyatt, Jennifer, Justin, Kristyn, Dustin, Megan, Nathan, Keith, Amanda, and Erin; and 12 great grandchildren; and also her sister, Barbara of Wisconsin and half-sisters, Kari and Kelly of Indiana, and nieces and nephews and other extended family.
Visit www.groesbeckfuneralhome.com to leave messages of condolence on the guestbook.