Robert Hardie

Robert Lane Hardie, age 73, passed away peacefully on April 1st, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Lane was born in San Antonio, TX, on August 2nd, 1943, the first child of Robert Lee and Doris Elaine Hardie. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first daughter, Michelle Lynne. Lane is survived by his wife, Maria Rodriguez Hardie; his daughter Shannon and her husband Charlie Gramatges, along with their children Robert Reid and Parker Lee; his brother Leslie and his wife Susan; three very special cousins - Stephanie Eyres Little, Scott Eyres, and Melody Eyres; twenty-three nieces and nephews; and many great-nieces and nephews. Lane's father, Robert Lee, grew up in Kosse, TX, and his mother, Doris Elaine, in nearby Thornton. Robert Lee enlisted in the Air Force and became a pilot, and although the Hardie family relocated frequently (both within and outside of the U.S.), Lane eventually found his way back to Texas. He graduated from the University of North Texas in 1965 with a degree in psychology. While attending UNT, he met Maria Rodriguez, who he married in August of 1965. Lane's first job out of college was in personnel management with Container Corporation of America, where he remained, throughout multiple mergers and buyouts, for over 40 years. Lane and Maria had their first daughter, Michelle Lynne, in March of 1972. Michelle's time on Earth was short: she succumbed to a congenital heart defect in July of the same year. Two years later, Maria gave birth to a healthy daughter, Shannon Leigh, who remained the light of Lane's life. Lane's job took his family from Ft. Worth to Chicago to Atlanta, back to Chicago, and finally to St. Louis, where he and Maria spent 26 years before moving back to Texas to be closer to family. While in St. Louis, Lane and Maria made many close friends who quickly became their family away from home. They were members at Central Presbyterian Church in Clayton for 10 years. In 2012, Lane was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. Though he was given grim statistics for long-term survival, he was determined to beat the disease and after months of aggressive radiation and chemotherapy, the cancer was eradicated. At the time of his diagnosis, Shannon was pregnant with his first grandchild; knowing he would soon have a grandchild motivated him to go forward and undoubtedly played a role in his victorious fight. He remained cancer-free until his death. In early 2013, Lane and Maria rented an apartment in Houston to take care of their grandson Reid for several months when Shannon returned to work. It was during this very special time that the couple began attending Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church and considered returning to Texas on a permanent basis. They made the move in January of 2014 and were able to take care of their second grandson, Parker, after he was born in November of 2015. While vacationing in Mexico in early December of 2016, Lane became ill with pneumonia, was hospitalized, and was ultimately airlifted back to Houston. For almost exactly 4 months, he battled bravely and fought through a number of complications, but in the end, he was not able to overcome the considerable insults to his body. Despite a great deal of pain and discomfort, Lane's faith was unshakeable: he never lost hope, had a smile for everyone who visited, and as long as the doctors said he had a chance, he had the courage to endure almost anything. Before he died, he was able to say goodbye to a number of family and friends who traveled to Houston to express their love for him and tell him what a tremendous influence he had on their lives. Maria, Shannon, and Leslie held his hands and remained with him until his last breath. Lane had an incredible love of history, particularly military history, and took many courses at Washington University after he retired. He was a voracious reader as well, with an extensive library of historical fiction and non-fiction. He also enjoyed building model airplanes and accumulated a large collection of Navy aircraft models. For several years, he volunteered as a grocery bagger at Sunshine Ministries in St. Louis, a mission committed to providing high quality Christian social services to the poor and needy. Eventually, Sunshine asked him to be on the Board of Directors and ultimately to serve as President, a position he had to relinquish, albeit reluctantly, after his cancer diagnosis. Lane and Maria traveled extensively and made many special friends along the way. Lane thoroughly enjoyed entertaining guests, nurturing relationships, and spending time with friends and family. He was an amazing Papa to his grandsons, a proud father to Shannon, and a loving and devoted husband to Maria, his wife of over 51 years. A memorial service is scheduled for Lane at Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX, on Saturday, April 8th at 10:30 a.m. with a reception to follow. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Lane's life. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at CHI-St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, especially those in the CVICU and the Thoracic Surgery ICU for their wisdom, kindness, and compassion. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Sunshine Ministries (1315 Howard Street, St. Louis, MO 63106 or www.sunshineministries.org) or Living Water International, two charities for which Lane cared deeply.

Service Information

April 8, 2017 10:30am, Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church

Details:

Service Extra Info In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Sunshine Ministries (1315 Howard Street, St. Louis, MO 63106 or www.sunshineministries.org) or Living Water International, two charities for which Lane cared deeply.