Anthony “Tony” Hardin

Anthony Lamar Hardin, better known as “Tony”, was born October 26, 1958 in Welch, West Virginia to Otis and Reba Hardin (both now deceased). The family resided in the nearby town of Jenkinjones, a very close-knit community where everyone looked out for each other. His father Otis was a coal miner, and his mother Reba was a homemaker and we believe, the best cook in town!

Tony was born a day before his sister Joyce’s seventeenth birthday, an anomaly in a town consisting of mostly older couples, so he was adored by his family and everyone else.

Tony attended Anawalt Elementary School and graduated from Gary High School in 1976. He excelled in basketball, and it was said that his coach thought that Tony ranked amongst the best players he’d ever seen.

After high school, Tony followed in his father’s footsteps and did a brief stint working in the coal mines. He eventually relocated to Columbus, Ohio, where he would remain until his passing.

Tony transitioned on Thursday, December 28, 2023. He is survived by sons, Rashon, Rico and Rakeem Hardin of Ohio, Christopher Cardwell of Florida; other children unnamed; his brother, Herbert McMillian of Jamaica, New York; sisters, Joyce Neal (Raliegh) of Reston, Virginia, Lecia Carter (Ronald) of Charlotte, NC and Mari Flanagan (Rev. Dr. Chelton) of Cleveland, Ohio, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

Visitation 1:00 PM and Funeral Service 2:00 PM Saturday, February 3, 2024 at MARLAN J. GARY FUNERAL HOME, THE CHAPEL OF PEACE EAST, 5456 E. Livingston Ave. (one block east of Noe Bixby, turn North on Lonsdale Rd).