William Floyd Clardy

William Floyd Clardy, loving husband, brother, father, and grandfather passed away in Hot Springs on February 2nd, 2016. He is survived by his wife, Lynn Hollan Clardy of Hot Springs; sister Martha Louise Chamness and her husband, David Conney Chamness of Little Rock; son, Bryan Hollan Clardy and his wife Katherine Irish-Clardy of Fort Smith; daughter Meredith Leigh Clardy of Houston, Texas, and son, Michael Kenneth Clardy and his wife Misty Nicole Crockett of Benton; grandchildren Kenneth Hollan Clardy and Erin Leigh Clardy of Fort Smith and Sherly Chavarria Jessica Clardy of Guatemala City, Guatemala, Calvin Richard Clardy of Arkadelphia and spoiled dogs, Nikki Lou and Abby Jean of Hot Springs. The son of Edgar Kenneth "Bill" Clardy, M.D. and Helen Girdner Clardy, Bill Clardy was born in Hot Springs on October 16, 1947 and graduated from Lakeside High School in 1965. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Hendrix College and married Si Lynn Hollan of Hot Springs in 1969. He earned an M.D. from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1973, meanwhile joining the United States Air Force. Dr. Clardy completed a residency in Pediatrics at Arkansas Children's Hospital and later a residency and Board Certification in Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, as well as a Master's in Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He served twenty years and eleven days in the Air Force before retiring at the rank of Colonel in 1992, having been Chief of Professional Services, Clinical Sciences Division, and the Material Science Division at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas. Dr. Clardy worked in the private practice of pediatrics and public health in Texas and Arkansas from 1992- 2011. Board certified in both specialties and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, he was a perennial student of medicine and an aggressive advocate for the health and safety of children. He always supported music and the arts, proudly attending hundreds of concerts to hear his wife, children, and grandchildren play music. Throughout his life, Dr. Clardy was an avid science fiction and fantasy fan, private and USAF pilot, able handyman, cook, and an especially skilled self-taught mechanic, always preferring to take it apart and fix it himself. He was an early adopter of personal computers, building his own from kits as early as 1979. He loved animals, especially black standard poodles and stray cats. The family wishes to thank all those involved at St. Vincent's Hospitals in Hot Springs and Little Rock, Sparks Regional Medical Center, Fort Smith and Healthsouth Fort Smith, The Pines Nursing and Rehabilitation, and in particular, Arkansas Hospice of Hot Springs. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Humane Society of Hot Springs, the Historic Friendship Cemetery of Hot Springs, or the Hot Springs Concert Band. Graveside services arranged by Gross Funeral Home are to be held at 1 o'clock on Tuesday February 9, 2016 at Hollywood Cemetery in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Colonel William F. Clardy, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P. may not have always been right, but he was never wrong. The online obituary, guestbook, and memorial tribute is available at www.GrossFuneralHome.com.