Peggy Cheape Hardin left this world on January 30, 2019 at the age of 94. Her mental acuity, kindness, and sense of humor never faltered right up until she passed. She entered this world on May 17, 1924, and spent most of her childhood years in Canton, Mississippi.
Young Peggy began playing bugle calls at summer camps at the tender age of 9. She also played the trumpet in her high school band, and sang in the Canton High School Girls Quartet, winning a first place in state competition. Peggy attended Mississippi State College for Women, and while she was a student, met the love of her life, Tyse Hardin, an aviation buff, who flew over her summer camp and dropped notes tied to rocks to ask her out on a first date.
They married after her junior year, when he returned from flying overseas missions during WWII. They moved to Dalhart, Texas, where Tyse completed his military service. The next stop was a year in Atlanta, where Tyse became a pilot for Eastern Air Lines, while Peggy worked as a gate agent for Delta Air Lines.
Eastern then transferred them to New Orleans for five years and once again back to Atlanta, where they remained the rest of their lives. Peggy was active as president of the PTA at her childrens’ school, and became lifelong friends with the principal Mary Bell Mitchell, who was impressed with how efficient and concise Peggy’s PTA meetings were. The teaching staff all became friends with Peggy and were also quite impressed with Tyse’s fudge.
Peggy’s mother and stepfather, Dena and Floyd Black, of Canton, Mississippi, extended a perennial welcome to all members of the family tree by offering their spacious 2-story cabin on Lake Neoma as a place to congregate in the summertime. Peggy, Tyse, their children, and many other extended relatives made pilgrimages to the lake house every summer for many years; as a result, many wide-spread relatives enjoyed staying in touch with Peggy and her family, and distant cousins developed friendships that most families don’t enjoy. Peggy had a long love of music, dance, and theater, and conducted the Junior Choir at East Point First United Methodist church.
She and Tyse sang in the Adult Choir, and their family enjoyed spending much time with the Wilkes, Oliver, and Harris families. In 1960 she took some of her choir members to audition for singing parts in Theater Under the Stars productions. In subsequent years two of her own children appeared in productions there.
Peggy was an excellent seamstress, to the great benefit of her children, grandchildren, friends, and relatives; she could even be found helping with last minute wardrobe crises for Theater Under the Stars. In the late 1960’s, Peggy was influential in East Point First United Methodist Church’s hiring of Bob Fraumann as the new Minister of Music, who revitalized the music program there. Thus began a lifelong friendship with Bob and his family, and in later years, Bob graciously drove her to enjoy musical shows at many venues, especially The Fox Theatre, where her son Scott was employed.
In the early 70’s Peggy worked in the credit department at Rich’s Cumberland Mall store, where she made lifelong friends with Mary Jo Moody. Part of her duties included mastering an early online Ticketron terminal to sell concert tickets to throngs of teenagers waiting in long lines. After her husband retired, they travelled extensively.
Their Eastern Airlines friends, Hank and Bonnie Slager, encouraged them to visit them in Bar Harbor, Maine, and Peggy and Tyse continued that tradition for over 25 years, renting their own cottage. Peg became quite the local expert on the travelling logistics to hit the high points, and enjoyed being the tour guide to the many friends and relatives they invited to their cottage, always in search of the next lobster meal. Peg and Tyse also travelled to Europe, and other locations, meeting new friends who would come to visit them at their home in Marietta, GA.
Peggy was a longtime friend of Atlanta Braves official photographer Walter Victor, and was able to arrange for many visitors to have a photo with whomever Walter could grab at the stadium, player or coach. Peggy and Tyse had a unique connection with Hartwell, GA, where they spent over 30 years visiting a lake house cabin that they built. They fit right in with the small-town atmosphere and the regular morning patrons of Jim’s Grill, which reminded them of their roots in their easy-going home towns of Macon, and Canton, Mississippi.
One Christmas ritual of Peggy’s was to round up toys to donate to the Egleston Children’s Hospital. Several of her grandchildren have fond memories of helping her deliver those toys. She also became known as “the doughnut lady” each Christmas, for donating and delivering doughnuts during rehearsals to the dancers of her friend Joanie Stewart’s production of The Nutcracker ballet.
Peggy’s kind disposition, warm heart, and generosity of her time made lifelong friends wherever she and Tyse would travel. A unique collection of friends and relatives, both near and far, were touched by her warm presence over the amazing span of a 94-year lifetime. Peggy just brought her own brand of sunshine into everyone’s life!
She was predeceased by her husband John Tyson Hardin, and oldest son John Tyson Hardin, Jr She is survived by her sister Betty Black Mitchell, her son Scott Howell Hardin (wife Cheryl), and her daughter Amy Caroline Chambers; by 3 first cousins: Brucia Mory (John), Karen Eames (John), Victor Trolio (Linda); by her nephew Michael Mitchell (Lisa); by 5 grandchildren: Ty Hardin (Jody) , Caroline Sullivan (Marshall), Randall Bonner (Jessica), Evan Hardin, and Hannah Hardin; 4 great grandchildren: Alex Hardin, Nico Hardin, Tyse Sullivan, and Mila Sullivan; 9 first cousins once-removed: Eugene Brady, Annie Yoder, Beth Yarbrough, John David Mory, Ellen Tonna, John Morrow, Tori Williams, Victor John Trolio, Bill Trolio; by 3 great nieces: Lilli-Grace Mitchell, Slyvia Mitchell, Eliza Mitchell; and by 2 great nephews: Zachary Miller, and Jeremy Miller. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Egleston Children’s Hospital, (now under the banner of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta) at www.
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