John Vincent Hardiman

6 April 1923 - 28 April 2009

Westerly Monthly Meeting lost a Friend, John Vincent Hardiman, when he passed away after a short illness on April 28, 2009. John was a lifelong peace activist, environmentalist, and tireless promoter of social change and justice. One Friend described him as an individualist who was keenly aware of oppression in our society.

John was born on April 6, 1923 in Whitesboro, N.Y. to John Arthur Hardiman and Mary Josephine (Soper) Hardiman. He and his siblings were orphaned at a young age. John, perhaps as a result, developed an uncanny ability to reach out to others, look for the light in each person, and create a family from his friends.

He married Eva Lotte Joachim on May 17, 1952. Eva, also a member of Westerly Meeting, passed away on Jan 9, 2002.

John served in the U.S. Army in WWII serving in the South Pacific. Turning swords into plowshares upon his return, John used the G.I. Bill and graduated from Colgate University with a B.A.  Even as a young undergraduate John had a unique perspective on life.  Unlike many other Colgate men, John advocated for the admission of women, among other causes.  He was an outsider and ahead of his time as Colgate did not admit women until 1972.   He went on to get his M.A in Social Work from the University of Buffalo.

He worked in a variety of settings including the Settlement House in Philadelphia, the Institute of Living in Hartford, and the Newington VA Hospital.  In his career as a social worker, as in all his pursuits, he was a tireless advocate for the needy and vulnerable, including veterans' groups.

He and Eva retired and moved to Charlestown, RI in 1984. It was here that he pursued the avocations of painting and poetry.

John's spirit led him to make friends and to be connected to important causes wherever he went.  A true believer that pen is mightier than the sword; he frequently distributed petitions for environmental or political causes. He wrote letters to local papers and his representatives and often actively protested war, even though as he grew older it became difficult for him to stand for long periods.   This reality did not keep him at home.  Within the last year one Friend observed John protesting on the Westerly Town triangle, bedecked with piles of antiwar signs and sitting in his lawn chair. It was fitting that one friend at his memorial service circulated a petition ---John would have liked that.

John was particularly active in the movement for racial equality. He was especially proud to start the Council for Human Relations in Newington, Connecticut which served as a roundtable forum in the ongoing struggle against racism.

In Charlestown, John became a great friend of the Narragansett Indian Nation and worked tirelessly for reconciliation and mutual respect between the tribe and the broader community. He gained that respect and the tribe embraced him---holding a memorial service for John in the Narragansett Indian Church near his home.  One tribal elder commented that John's memorial service was the first time a non-Narragansett had been so honored. If John was not present at Westerly Meeting on a particular First Day, Friends knew he was probably at the Narragansett Indian Church.  As one friend commented: "John is a thread that connects our meeting with the Indian Church."  As a special friend of the Narragansett's, John was a frequent visitor to the Indian Senior Meal Site; enjoying the food and fellowship.

John is survived by his son, Christopher John Hardiman, daughter in law, Pamela Thibodeau Hardiman, and their children, Gregory, Nicholas and Daniel residing in Farmington, Conn., by his daughter Josephine Eve Horna, son-in-law Luis Horna and children Vincent, Carrieve and Maeve residing in Ridgewood, N.J., and by his daughter Lisa Lotte Hardiman, son-in-law Barry Witham and children Nathaniel and Sana residing in Great Falls, Montana.

Ode to a Woodlot
by John Hardiman

Your good times were filled
Every living day along,
A single Indian Trail,
With dogs and walking people,
Plus all the things that sleep,
Unseen to wake at night
Populate the carpet,
Of knee high blueberries,
Scratching your legs heading,
Down a curve past old logs,
Guarding lady slippers.
Your dog checks them out,
Each step turns up something new,
Left by early humans,
Heavy slabs, leaning stones,
Arranged for what we know not,
Trail curves leisurely up,
Incline to overlook,
Beautiful sylvan swale.

John, never short on words, shared his verbal ministry freely at Meeting. He would sometimes tell of his walks on the beaches or through the woods, revealing in what he said his strong connection with life, from the ancient stones of a native burial site to the joyful prancing of his dogs. John's son noted that his father was in the habit of using the words "amazing" and "beautiful" when describing nature and life. He was forever mindful of the spirit, permanently connected to the earth and always able to offer love to those he encountered.  John embraced life and lived it with earnest integrity.  He truly lived George Fox's challenge to "walk gently on the earth and answer that of God in everyone."