Obituary of Edward Hardy Jr.
Obituary Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.
Edward (“Ed”) P. Hardy Jr., a Pleasantville resident for 53 years, passed away peacefully on Aug. 24 at the age of 92.
Ed was born in Hudson, N.Y. on Feb. 8, 1930, to Edward P. Hardy Sr. and Helen S. Hardy. He was raised in Hudson, and as the oldest son, was dubbed the “skipper” of the family. He graduated from Hudson Senior High School in 1948, then attended Columbia University, where he completed an undergraduate degree in chemistry. While at Columbia, Ed was varsity coxswain on Columbia’s competitive, esteemed rowing crew.
Upon graduation from Columbia University in 1951, Ed embarked on a nearly 40-year career in New York City, first with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), a federal agency created only a few years earlier by President Harry S. Truman to manage the development, use and control of atomic (nuclear) energy for military and civilian applications.
While at the AEC, he continued his education at night, earning a master’s degree in chemistry from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1958. He continued his career when the AEC became the Department of Energy (DOE) in the 1970s, continuing his work in radionuclide measurement, and became director of the Environmental Measurements Laboratory within the DOE.
It was at the AEC that he met the love of his life, Elisa Peralles Pinto, whom he married in 1959. They remained married for 55 years until her death in 2014.
Ed was a loving, honest and generous man who made everyone who had the good fortune of knowing him feel cared for and valued. He exemplified kindness and compassion, with his unselfish and steady disposition, always attentive to the needs of others, especially his children and grandchildren. His friendly, enthusiastic demeanor endeared him to the generations of families who lived in his neighborhood and most everyone who came into his orbit. He always delighted in interacting and conversing with children at the United Methodist Church in Tarrytown, as well as those who lived in his Pleasantville neighborhood over the many years.
In addition to his wife Elisa, Ed was predeceased by two brothers, Robert and Richard. Left to cherish his memory are his daughter, Lydia Prost (Philippe), of Geneva, Switzerland, daughter Carolyn Hardy of Lincoln, Mass., son Jim Hardy (Ann) of Bedford Hills; six grandchildren, Guilluame Prost (Jeremy), Adrien Prost, Benjamin Haney, Allison Haney, Chelsea Hardy and Kaitlyn Hardy; and niece Jessica Hardy of Colorado and nieces and nephews in the Houston area.
A memorial gathering celebrating Ed’s life will be held on Nov. 5.
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