Ralph Hardy, Jr.

Ralph Moss (Buddy) Hardy, Jr., age 67, resident of Belize, passed away Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at UAB Hospital in Birmingham, AL, following a brief illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alice Calhoun Hardy and Ralph M. Hardy. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn Mayo Hardy, two sons, Ralph Davidson Hardy (Ami), of Laurens, SC, and John Stewart Hardy, (Sara) of Coppell, TX, and foster daughter, Angela Dillow Armstrong of Headland, AL, grandchildren, Hannah Feagin Hardy, and Kathryn Hatchell Hardy, Miles Edward Hardy, Anna Lucile Hardy, William Stewart Hardy, Kinley Alyssa Armstrong and Kathryn Abigail Armstrong, two sisters, Martha Grace Hardy Washington (Al) of Richmond VA, and Alice Hardy Payne, of Birmingham, AL, nieces Alice Washington Mitchell (Kevin) of Richmond VA and Elizabeth Payne Floyd (Ben) of Auburn, AL, and nephew, William Brian Washington of Richmond, VA, and grand nieces and nephews, Kirkland Payne Floyd, John Calhoun Floyd, and Grace Ann Mitchell.
Buddy earned his Eagle Scout Award and at age sixteen earned his pilot's license, pursuing a career in aviation, he eventually earned his Airline Transport Pilot rating. He served as a corporate pilot for Bush Hog/Allied Products, Inc., Disco/Circle S. Industries, Inc. and later flew charter jets for Air Speed Aviation in Montgomery, AL. He also would go on to train as an Army aviator in both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. He served in the Alabama Army National Guard. He completed 33 years of military service, with 20 of those years on active duty.
As a committed Christian, in 1990 he became involved in foreign Christian missions and was asked to come to Belize, a small poor country bordered on the north by Mexico in Central America, formerly British Honduras, to assist a Baptist missionary in developing a camp for use as a training center for the both locals and US teams. For the next 13 years, he traveled to Belize at least once a year and helped to complete the Western Region Baptist Training Center where he continued serving on the board of directors for the center as Treasurer. In 2003, he began to host mission teams from the United States who went out from the Baptist camp to minister in the rural villages of Belize. His first mission team was a combination of dental ministry and a construction ministry. He quickly realized the need to create a separately funded ministry to support existing ministries and develop new mission projects. Fishers of Men shortly thereafter was established. Since its inception, Buddy hosted more than 50 teams on short term mission projects including medical, family ministry, women's ministry, men's ministry, veterinary, dental and construction teams. He and his wife, Kathryn, made Belize their permanent home in 2009. One of the recent triumphs of Fishers of Men under his leadership was the creation of Redemption Road Village, a transition home for young girls.
Buddy was a lifelong member of Shiloh Baptist Church where he served as Chairman of Deacons, taught Sunday School, served in the adult choir, taught Disciple Training, and was a dedicated leader of RA training for the development of young boys.
The service will be at Shiloh Baptist Church, Hwy 41 in Sardis, AL, on Friday, May 2, at 11:00 AM, followed by a grave side service at New Live Oak Cemetery in Selma. Dr. William H. Gardner (Pastor - Shiloh Baptist, Sardis) and Rev. Buddy Champion (Senior Pastor - First Baptist, Trussville) will be conducting the service. Active pallbearers are Cecil M. Yarbrough, James Burton Odom, Jr., B Kincey Green Jr., Billy Kent Hardy, George Arthur Sullivan, Charles Samuel Sullivan, and William Andrew Sullivan

In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to Fishers of Men International Missions, Inc, PO Box 387, Selma, Alabama 36702-0387 or UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care, Boshell Diabetes Bldg 463, 1808 7th Ave. South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0012.