Chrystal D. Hardin

Chrystal D. Hardin, 89, of Searcy passed away Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at her home. Mrs. Hardin was born November 25, 1923 in Dover, Arkansas. She graduated from Dover High School in 1941 and moved to Russellville where she worked in the Pope County Tax Collector's Office for several years. She married Luther S. Hardin, a flight instructor at Arkansas Tech University, on December 7, 1946. The couple moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma where Mr. Hardin received his Masters Degree from Oklahoma A&M (Oklahoma State University). The couple moved to Searcy in 1950 where Mr. Hardin began teaching agriculture at Searcy High School. Mrs. Hardin stayed home to raise their son, Luther "Lu" Hardin, born in September 1951. In 1958, Mrs. Hardin became the secretary at Searcy High School, a position she held for 25 years, retiring in 1984. During that time, she worked closely with the school's principals and guided and befriended thousands of students. During that time, Mr. Hardin served as Director of Foothills Vocational School in Searcy and later became Director of the Arkansas State Department of Vocational Education. Mrs. Hardin was a longtime member of Searcy's First United Methodist Church and the Fulbright Sunday School Class. Mrs. Hardin is survived by her son, Lu Hardin and wife Mary of Little Rock, grandson Luther Scott Hardin and wife Avie of Little Rock, granddaughter Mallory Hardin Brooks and husband Aaron of Little Rock and great-grandson, Harrison Luther Hardin of Little Rock. She is preceded in death by her husband of 40 years, Luther S. (Shorty) Hardin, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Boyd Waldo, and brothers, Loy and Boyd Waldo of Quanah, Texas. Services will be held Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 2 p.m. with visitation beginning at 1 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Searcy. Memorials can be made to First United Methodist Church Searcy, 304 North Main Street, Searcy, Ark. 72143 or Easter Seals Arkansas, 3920 Woodland Heights Road, Little Rock, Ark. 72212 or www.eastersealsar.com.