Jerry Eugene Hardy
August 31, 1944 ~ February 11, 2025
Born in:
Burlington, NC
Resided in:
Fairview, NC
Jerry Eugene Hardy of Asheville, NC, passed away on February 11, 2025. Born in 1944, he spent his early life growing up in Haw River, NC. He graduated from Haw River High School in 1961 and then joined the US Navy, where he served from 1962 to 1966 and achieved the rank of Machinist’s Mate Third Class.
In 1970, Jerry attended the Technical Institute of Alamance in Burlington, NC, graduating with an associate degree. After completing his education, he moved to Asheville in 1972 and worked for the Xerox Corporation before establishing his own business, Copier Service of Western North Carolina, where he worked with his friend Mike Wood.
He enjoyed deep sea fishing at the Outer Banks, where he regularly went with his friends. Additionally, he was an active Mason and a member of the Black Mountain Lodge and Land of the Sky Shrine Club.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James A. Hardy and Willetta D. Hardy, and his beloved wife, Addie Mae Hardy, of Fairview. He is survived by his sister, Barbara H. Milton, of Durham; his brother, Daniel E. Hardy and his wife Janice, of Reidsville; his son, Clell Biggs, of Asheville; his niece, Brooke Tuck, of Durham; and his nephew, Scott Shaw, of Asheville.
His family will receive friends beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 18, at Groce Funeral Home on Tunnel Rd. The funeral service will follow at 2:00 p.m. Burial will then take place at Chestnut Hill Baptist Church Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford.
Services
Funeral Service: February 18, 2025 2:00 pm
Groce Funeral Home on Tunnel Road
856 Tunnel Rd.
Asheville, NC 28805
(828)299-4416
http://www.grocefuneralhome.com
Visitation: February 18, 2025 1:00 pm
Groce Funeral Home on Tunnel Road
856 Tunnel Rd.
Asheville, NC 28805
(828)299-4416
http://www.grocefuneralhome.com
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
Jerry met my mom, Addie, in 1983. He was the love of her life, and I know he felt the same about her. There was nothing they wouldn’t have done for each other, which was proven time and time again by the many hardships they went through during their time together. They were truly soulmates.
In 1984, they married, and from that point on, he raised me as his own. He taught me right from wrong, how to stand up for what I believe in, and how important it is to care for your family. My mom and I were so fortunate to have had him in our lives. I am the person I am today because of him, and I love him with all my heart.
Jerry loved and cared deeply about his family. There was nothing he enjoyed more than visiting with them while eating good food, talking, and joking around. Anytime he was with them, you could see the joy on his face and hear it in his voice. He had a great sense of humor, and you knew that anytime you spent with him was going to be a good time.
Jerry had many close friends. He and my mom spent quite a lot of time with them, and they went on many trips. One of the things he enjoyed the most was going to the Outer Banks with his buddies on deep-sea fishing trips. He always came back home with great stories about those trips and, of course, a lot of fish for us to eat over the following year. He was also an amazing griller. Some of my best memories growing up were the cookouts we had on the weekends.
I was young, but I remember him being a hard worker. He used what he had learned in the Navy, college, and working at Xerox to start his own business. He was so good at what he did that when he started his business, all of his clients switched from Xerox. He did copier service all over Western North Carolina. One of his biggest contracts that I know of was the one he had with the Buncombe County School system. I often saw him working when I’d go to the office for something. He would always give me this stern but joking look and ask me what I was doing there. Fortunately, I was never actually in any trouble, which he knew, but he couldn’t miss the opportunity to make a joke.
People loved Jerry. He was an incredibly fun person to be around, and he was dedicated to his friends and family. They were the most important thing in the world to him. I know he’s with Addie and his mom right now, having a good laugh.