Carolyn N. Hardy

Carolyn Stella Nowak Hardy passed away peacefully at the age of 74 on February 10, 2023.

Her Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 5 St. Teresa Dr, Charleston. The Rite of Committal will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. The family will receive friends between 4:00 and 6:00 PM Monday afternoon at the James A. McAlister Funeral Home, 1620 Savannah Hwy. The Rosary will be recited at 5:30 PM.

Carolyn was born July 13, 1948, to Lucretia and Chester Nowak. She and her siblings grew up surrounded by cousins in Charleston, SC. Carolyn attended Sacred Heart Catholic School and graduated from Bishop England High School in 1966. Following graduation, she went to work for the Naval Supply Center. Soon after she met the love of her life, Dan Hardy. The early years of their marriage brought two children (Julie & Dan) and several moves across the country, but they eventually settled in Martinsville, VA where they lived for 23 years. There Carolyn was an active member of the community, church volunteer, Cub Scout Den Mother and member of many ladies’ organizations. Her family was named Catholic family of the year at St. Joseph’s Church. She started working at American Greeting and continued this for the next 10 years.

Dan and Carolyn relocated to Chattanooga, TN in 1996 where they lived until retirement in 2004. That year Dan made good on his promise to take his Charleston bride home. They settled on James Island and Carolyn delighted in being near her family.

Carolyn continued with her lifelong church and civic involvement. She was a member of the Blessed Sacrament Ladies Guild and an active volunteer at Hope Lodge. She was named Catholic Women of the Year at Blessed Sacrament Church. Carolyn loved to travel and cherished those memories. She was a faithful fan of The Citadel Bulldogs and an even more devoted fan of her grandsons’ various sports teams. She was known for her southern hospitality, sending cards for every occasion, Christmas parties and her unfailing practice of showing up with a casserole and bouquet of flowers whenever anyone in her life was in need. However, her most beloved role in life was that of a homemaker, wife, mother and grandmother. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

She is predeceased by parents Chet & Lucretia Nowak, brothers Teddy, Eddie, and Chet, and daughter, Julie Santuk.

She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Dan D. Hardy, Jr., son Dan D. Hardy III (Melanie), sister Marcella Schachte (Neil), grandchildren Edward, Evan (Ed), Dixon, and Cooper as well as many nieces, nephews and a host of other family members and lifelong friends that she loved dearly.

Memorials can be made to The Charleston Hope Lodge, 269 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC 29401 or to Bishop England High School, 363 Seven Farms Drive, Daniel Island, SC 29492.

Arrangements by James A. McAlister, Inc. (843) 766-1365.