Artty Elwood Hardymon, Jr.
Artty Hardymon, age 88 of Greenup, died on February 18, 2014. He was born on September 14, 1925 at Happy Hollow, Kentucky to Artty and Minnie Kiser Hardymon. He moved to Greenup in 1945 where he met his soul mate, Marie. They were married on June 14, 1947 in Greenup and resided there for the rest of their lives.
Mr. Hardymon was employed by the C&O Railway and spent his career as a telegraph operator and station agent. He belonged to the First Baptist Church of Greenup for 66 years. He was a member of Greenup Lodge No. 89, F. & A.M. for 63 years, was a 50+ year member of Electa Chapter No. 3, Order of the Eastern Star, a member of the Scottish Rite and a 32nd degree Mason. He was the first ever recipient of the Daniel Boone Medal given by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky in recognition of service above and beyond in Masonry. For many years he served on the Greenup Volunteer Fire Department and as a director of Greenup County Library Board.
Artty was a lifelong learner, always curious about things and how they worked. His interests were myriad. When he wasnt taking something apart to discover the inner workings, researching family genealogy or updating his Facebook page, favorite pastimes were watching Kentucky Wildcat basketball and Cincinnati Reds baseball. He took delight in the fact that he took his daughter to her first Reds game at Crosley Field in 1956, his grandson to his first Reds game at Riverfront Stadium in 1992 and his great-grandson to his first Reds game at Great American Ballpark in 2011. He leaves behind three generations of Reds fans!
Artty was preceded in death by the love of his life and wife of 63 years, Marie, and three sisters, Mildred Lee, Eileen Kubik and Laura Kiser. He is survived by his daughter, Donna Poynor and son-in-law, Rob, of Gainesville, FL, his grandson Christopher Hardymon Poynor and his wife, Sara, of Des Moines, IA, two great-grandsons, Owen Elwood and David Jesse Poynor, a niece and numerous nephews.
A celebration of Arttys life will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, February 22, 2014 at Reed Funeral Home in Greenup with Dr. Tom Melvin presiding. Visitation will be 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday. He will be laid to rest next to his beloved Marie at Brick Union Cemetery in Lloyd.
Memorial contributions to honor Artty may be made to the March of Dimes, 1831 NW 13th Street, Suite 3, Gainesville, FL 32609.
