Charles Douglas Hardy Jr.

Charles Douglas Hardy Jr. 1930 – 2021 BRUNSWICK – Charles Douglas “Doug” Hardy Jr., 90, of Brunswick, passed away peacefully on May 26, 2021 with family by his side. He was born Nov. 10, 1930. Doug grew up in Summit, N.J. where he attended elementary and high school. Doug attended Princeton University where he graduated in 1952 with a degree in engineering. He met his wife, Joan, while on a canoe trip in the Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario, Canada between his college years and naval service as an officer aboard the USS Grenadier ss525 during the Korean War. The couple married in 1955. Following his tour of duty, the pair moved to Cambridge, Mass. where Doug attended Harvard Business School and attained a graduate degree. When it was time to settle down, Doug and Joan moved to New Jersey where they started a family and raised five children. Although retired from the military, Doug continued to serve in his community as an EMT first-responder, and trained many others in the life-saving skills necessary to certify for First Aid and EMT on squads in both New Vernon and Mendham, N.J. Doug found work as an engineer and salesman designing and importing European-manufactured printing technology for the textile industry in America. He used his connections to modernize operations at his family’s business, Old Deerfield Fabrics in Cedar Grove, N.J. After a decade, Doug took over the business as CEO and ran it until his retirement in 1999. Even in retirement Doug continued to work hard. He was an avid hobbyist whose passions for woodworking culminated when he and Joan moved to Maine in their 70’s and built a post-and-beam house by hand with help from the students from the Shelter Institute in Woolwich, Maine. Although he could no longer serve as an EMT, Doug continued to dedicate time to his community through organizations that he cared about, including the Day’s Ferry Congregational Church and Habitat for Humanity where he volunteered countless hours helping Mainers insulate their homes. If there was a way to pitch in for the greater good, Doug was always ready to lend a hand. Doug was predeceased by Joan Lawson Hardy, his wife of 65 years; his daughter Mary Lawson Hardy; and his granddaughter Violet Joy Niles; along with his parents, Maria and Charles Douglas Hardy Sr. He is survived and remembered by his son Charles David Hardy of Rutland, Vt., his daughter Ann Douglas Hardy of Franklin Borough, N.J., his daughter Jean Hardy of Belfast, his daughter Jill Hardy of Brunswick; his grandson Jeremy Niles of Portland; and his brother Robert Hardy of Vergennes, Vt. A celebration of Doug’s life will be held later this summer. All are encouraged to leave a condolence message at: https://www.funeralalternatives.net/obituaries.php In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Alzheimer’s Association and Chan’s Hospice of Brunswick, Maine