Dale G. Hardman, 1 November 1917
Dale G. Hardman, 84, died March 4, 2002 in Provo, UT at the home of his daughter, Melanie McCoard.
He was born November 1, 1917 in Malad, ID, the youngest child of George Hardman and Anne Eliza Stephens House. He was raised in Malad and had many family connections to Star Valley, WY.
Dale attended Utah State University, graduated from BYU, and earned a fifth year certificate in Social Work from the University of Utah. He served in the US Army Medical Corps during World War Ii. He later received his masters degree from the University of Chicago, and an Ed.D in Social Work from the University of Illinois.
He worked for the juvenile court system at the Utah State Industrial School in Ogden, and for the child welfare system in Provo. After achieving his doctorate, he taught at the University of Missouri at Columbia and the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and then was Professor of Social Work for 20 years at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.
He retired as Professor Emeritus in 1987, having been a favorite teacher and mentor and a prolific contributor to social work research and professional journals throughout his career.
Dale served an LDS mission in the Southern States, then served stake and district missions as he moved with his family to Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin. He was dedicated to sharing the Gospel and supported many missionaries, both friends and family over the years. With his wife Margaret he served a mission in the Washington, DC Temple, and then he later gave years of service at the Provo and Jordan River temples.
Dale married Margaret Deane Pitts in the Salt Lake Temple on August 18, 1945. Together they served tirelessly in numerous wards, branches and districts of the LDS Church. They shared professional social work interests, and together developed a passion for puppeterring – making puppets, writing scripts and performing.
Dale loved classical and folk music, played the harmonica well, learned to play the cello after he was 40, and studied jazz after he was 50. He wrote novels, plays and a collection of his favorite stories and anecdotes. His cartoon characters graced the arms, legs and bellies of hundreds of children and delighted friends and family. He was a fine amateur sculptor and he freely shared his talents wherever he went. His philosophy of life, a legacy he left to his posterity, was service.
Margaret died in 1987. Dale married Verda Cheney in 1997 and lived the final years of his life in Kearns, UT. He is survived by his wife Verda; five children: Stephen (Nancy), Laurie (Clair) Hicks, Lorene (Bill) Fox, Melanie (Stoney) McCoard, Coralie (Ralph) Leue’; stepchildren Tim (Rebecca) Cheney, Ron Cheney, Steven (Elaine) Cheney and Lynn (Christi) Cheney; 26 grandchildren and 16 step grandchildren 16 great grandchildren and three step great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held March 8 at the Kearns West Stake Center, Salt Lake City, under the direction f Berg Mortuary. Burial will be at the Elysian Gardens, Salt Lake City.