Christmas Card and Review of 1994

I can't believe how old we look in this picture.  Hard Times!

If I were an economist I would have to say,
1994 was not good in ANY way!!!
But since I'm not, you'll be happy to hear,
We've had many blessings and lots of good cheer!

The first blessing for the new year '95,
Is the fact that Richard Hardy is still alive--
Like the little pink rabbit that keeps going and going
Richard is there for us all without any slowing.

And then there's the children Linda, Maria, James and John
Who's support and love is with us though they are long gone,
With spouses Gary, Mark, Camber, and Jessica, too
Our cup overfloweth from their goodness so true.

The picture enclosed really tells the whole story,
Ten grandchildren of beauty and wondrous glory.

Is it that first gaze from an infants eyes..
Or the hug and helping hand from the big girls and guys
That makes a grandmother truly thankful and aware
She has gifts from heaven with which none can compare.

And what a blessing The Temple has been in our life
As we escape each Wednesday from a world of strife-
And serve with loving, beautiful sisters and brothers
In a labor of love that transcends all others.

Knowing our family will be with us forever and
that life is eternal and that Jesus Christ and God
live and hear and answer our prayers--
Can any blessing be greater than that?

So Greenspan and Feds keep raising rates high--
Keep hurting our business in the years by and by,
No one can take from us what is of real worth
We've an eternal family sharing our life on earth.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! from Janet and Richard

I like to put the Christmas tree up right after Halloween!!  Meagan helps.  I made some of my decorations.

Four Generation Pictures with Grandma Anderson

Mike and Matt at Christmas.

We were  being threatened that we could not use independent agents anymore and would have to have everyone as employees with health benefits, etc.  We could not have afforded all that.

So in 1994 we moved our office out to Rancho Bernardo, too.  We just worked the two of us trying to survive all the financial woes.

It was in this office that I watched as Richard had a TIA and I called Kaiser as I watched.  They took us right in and in the morning he had carotid surgery on both sides.  It would be two years later when he had his final cardiac arrest in Susanville.

WMA Training and Christmas , 1994

Yesterday, WMA introduced the loan that they have been working on for 2 years to make possible.  We would be the first to have it here in the U. S.  It has been in Great Britain for over 50 years!  Anyway it is an excellent concept and I could certainly do it.  You have to be real estate, security and insurance licensed to broker it, which I am.  Yesterday in the presentation the presenter asked a question early on in the presentation to see if we were catching on and I was the only one that answered out of 150 people.  He said, "Who was that?", and I raised my hand and he said, "Ok, you've already graduated but you can stay and listen with the rest".  But the concept is a 30 year interest only loan combined with A VUL.  Tax advantage and build up of investment--people who understand money will want it easily--inexperienced and first time buyers will be skeptical. 

I did not think I would decorate for Christmas but I was so energized I got it all out last night and it looks very cheery.  I told Meagan we'd do a tree up in Park City since I don't have one here--She was happy cuz John never has one in Pasadena, I guess.

Meagan and John

We Take Kristi and Meagan to Silver Gate, 1995

In August of 1995 we took Kristi and Meagan to Silver Gate and Camber and James met us there.   The intention was that the following summer we would take the three oldest grandsons Michael, Craig, and Matt.  That trip never happened and I am not sure why, but I really enjoyed this trip with my oldest granddaughters.

Unfortunately we had some car trouble with our van and it was the transmission so we actually bought a new van in Salt Lake City!

I wonder how much they enjoyed the trip.  Meagan looks so tired and gloomy in the following picture.

Who was taking the pictures of us at the waterfall, hmmmm?

I remember that we have pictures of sliding in the snow but where are they!!   

Christmas 1995

Richard's last Christmas 1995

Richard always loved being with his relatives.

We went to Park City for Christmas but came to the Hurst home in Salt Lake City for a family party.

This is Richard's cousin Robert Wells who spoke at his funeral.  He is with his wife and two of Richard and his Aunts.

This was the last Christmas for Richard in our Rancho Bernardo house.

This was the display case Richard picked out for our new home in Rancho Bernardo.  We moved in to Rancho Bernardo in 1988 and I have to sell the house because Richard had desperately put a second mortgage of $150,000 on it to solve a problem.  Otherwise I would not have to sell the house.  The first is small, I think I could handle it. Richard thought he had more time to solve the problems.

 

Hardy Family Reunion, 1996

 

This was actually one of the most fun reunions I thought because those in charge of olympics and awards (see above) had the most fun games and entertainment.  Hopefully I can find more pictures.

It was also very embarrassing to me in the long run.  It was evidently Richard's turn to be honored at a reunion...the parents, Scott and Martin had all been honored and when it was suggested to Richard and he told me I knew that the brunt of it would be my responsibility to prepare, Richard could not honor himself and because we were under such financial straits and Richard was not telling his family,  I was still working very  hard to bring in income and totally exhausted.  I told Richard there was no way I could manage it and he, without telling me, suggested it would be better to honor Kathy, Miriam and Janet.

So the Hardy boys made videos to present,  and information and pictures were supplied by the individual families to Mark and Jim.  Because Richard did not tell me or ask anything of me, some of the information on me was incorrect, but the saddest part was that Richard declared bankruptcy in the fall and died in November so he was never honored at the reunions that he started and did most of the work to make them happen.  I felt so guilty, but this is indicative of Richard's nature.  He knew the pressure on me, took part of it on himself and managed to get it out of our hands and never asked a thing of me.  

I might add I paid my due having to unwind and move on after the Tulare catastrophe which, I feel, shortened Richard's life, and took everything we had.

Richard Passed Away November 27, 1996, Funeral December 3rd, 1996 in Rancho Bernardo Chapel

At an Unexpected Time, Richard Passes Away

So many times over the year incidents would happen and we expected Richard to have a heart attack but when it finally happened, it was not expected at all!

Richard passed away the day before Thanksgiving in 1996, we were at Maria's home in Susanville.  He had gotten up to look for something for his sore throat and finally came back.  He could not find an aspirin, we were sleeping on the pull-out in the Family Room.

Maria came down and said there was nothing open to buy anything and could he wait till morning?  Richard asked me to turn on the TV for him and he could possibly fall asleep. It was about 2:20 AM.  A few minutes later I hear this horrible sound and look at Richard and his eyes have rolled back in his head and he is making loud guttural sounds.  I think I screamed, "Oh, My God", and called for Maria and Mark.  They came down and tried to do something.  I can't remember who called the paramedics.  I remember walking around and around saying "Oh, My God" several times.  The paramedics came and pulled Richard onto the floor and began working on him.  His belly was very swollen.  They finally decided to take him into the hospital and work on him some more.  If they could get a strong enough heartbeat they were going to fly him to Reno, they were all waiting.

Maria's Bishop came to the hospital and gave me a blessing for Richard.  He may have eventually gotten into Richard, too, I can't remember.  We were all crying, but I had accepted the fact that it was the Lord's will, we finally went in and said goodbye to Richard.  I held his head and told him I loved him and that he was a good, good man.  It was all so devastating.  Everyone around looked so sad and seemed to have such empathy for us.  Maria and Mark were so comforting to have with me.

The next two months were a nightmare.  All the boxes of business were in the garage.  My arms have just recently stopped aching from moving them up and down and going through them trying to figure out what to do and what needed to be done.

I can't write any more now.  I'm crying so hard and feeling so sorry for myself.

Funeral, December 3, 1996 

This is the program.  Not on the list of speakers was Robert Wells, Richard's cousin and a Seventy. He unexpectedly showed up representing Richard's many relatives who could not be there from the Las Vegas area.  He gave a powerful talk.  All of the funeral proceedings were video taped by Camber's father and are on You Tube on the Janet Anderson Hardy Channel as well as on this blog.

The Relief Society provided a really lovely luncheon after the funeral.  Sister Brundage had a lot to do with it.  So Nice.

I thought this poem so fitted Richard's Giving Life.

Zack and his family, years later,  came and spread Sherry's ashes in a favorite area they had shared together when Zack was just a toddler.  He was there, at that place, on Sherry's wishes.

After Richard's father Merlin died, when Richard was 11.

Valko Grandchildren at Christmas.

They were the last grandchildren Richard spent time with.

And now Richard is really resting from all the cares of this Earth.  Till we meet again, we will remember.