Portrait of David Charles Hardy
VETERAN
This is his legacy.

David Charles Hardy

May 9, 1999 – April 9, 2022
Lived 22 years
Nashwauk Cemetery · Nashwauk, MN
Change comes from weakness
In service to country

Thank you for your service

David served in the armed forces. We honor that service here.

Life story

David Charles Hardy passed away at his home in St. Cloud, MN on April 9, 2022, at the young age of only 22 years old. David was born in Grand Rapids, MN on Mother's Day - May 9, 1999, to David & Kelli Hardy.

David was a very energetic child who loved to emulate his father and took it upon himself to form a protective nature of his two older sisters, Sara and Katy, since the passing of their mother from cancer when David was only 8 years old. The loss of their mother in 2007 was devastating to the entire family.

God recognized the suffering that the loss of Kelli placed on the Hardy family and blessed them in 2010 with the addition of Laurie, whom David's father married, and her children Dustin and Cassie. David's open, loving heart and warm nature was so welcoming to them all.

David was tenacious and excelled in sports. In school he played t-ball, baseball, football, and basketball. After suffering several concussions in football, he turned to the gym and started weightlifting, which immediately became a passion of his and a method David used to relieve stress. The gym remained his "Happy Place". He shared this passion with others by becoming a personal trainer and signing many online partnerships. He was a role model, mentor, and confidant to students at Cherry High School where he shared his passion of sports and competition by coaching football and track. David attended Greenway High School in Coleraine, MN until 6th grade. He then transferred to Cherry High School in Cherry, MN where he graduated in 2017. He also participated in Upward Bound and was Homecoming King.

In David's desire to follow in his father's footsteps he joined the Air Force right out of high school. He completed his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas, after which he completed Security Forces Training, returning to Minnesota soon after. Senior Airman Hardy was a steadfast member of the 934th Security Forces Squadron, United States Air Force Reserve, who could be counted on to encourage his fellow Airmen to succeed, especially when it came to physical fitness. His presence will be missed within his unit.

David was currently employed at Legacy Restorations in St. Cloud, MN and enjoyed all aspects of his work.

David did everything with passion. His self-discipline, competitive and loving nature were an inspiration to everyone in his life. He was an incredible son, brother, uncle and friend who deeply loved his family and was always willing and eager to lend a hand wherever needed. David left a lasting impression on everyone he met, he was loved by many, and his legacy will never be forgotten by those who were fortunate enough to have him in their life.

David is survived by his parents, David & Laurie Hardy of Nashwauk; his sisters, Sara (Jon) Gray of Chisholm and Katy Hardy (Hunter) of Nashwauk; his siblings: Dustin Reini of Buhl, Cassie (Michael) Lundquist of Cloquet, MN, and Pam (Travis) Polo of Carlton, MN; his nieces & nephews: Monica, Aurora, Calyb, Kaden and Colton. His Grandmother, Melody Johnson of Coleraine, MN, his God Father, Gary Yuhala of Hibbing, MN; and many aunts, uncles, cousins.

David was preceded in death by his mom, Kelli (Nasby) Hardy; his grandparents: Leonard and Marlene Hardy, and Grandma Geraldine Nasby; his aunt, Ellen Anderson; and God Mother, Roberta Nasby.

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Lifetime

The world David knew

Family milestones in gold, history for context

1999
Born May 9
2001
David was 2 when Apple introduced the iPod
2005
David was 6 when the first video was posted to YouTube
2010
David was 11 when Instagram was launched
2016
David was 17 when Pokemon Go sent millions outdoors hunting creatures
2020
David was 21 when SpaceX launched astronauts into orbit for the first time
2022
Passed away April 9, age 22
Tributes and memories

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Sara Gray 155w

My lil bro

My baby brother…I created this profile for you and for everyone to see the amazing life you lived and what an incredible person you were...I miss you every second of every day....I will never get used to you being gone because to me you are still here, weaved into everything I am and do. I just keep waiting for a snap or text or call or for you to just pull in the driveway...I know you are a beautiful angel up there with mom now but you should be down here with us, with me.....I miss our daily snapchats and conversations, I miss listening to NF blaring in your truck, I miss our late night drives taking about life, I miss your jokes, I miss your voice, I miss our Monday night dinners and watching the bachelor/bachelorette, I miss you making me laugh so hard my stomach would hurt, I miss your hugs, I miss how you cared about me, I miss hearing you tell the story of why you hate owls, I miss watching you be the best uncle, I miss our doughnut cheat days, I miss waking up in the middle of the night and seeing you sleeping on the couch, I miss you trying to get me to take a shot of fireball with you, i miss you beating me at marbles-every…single…time, I miss your motivational posts on Instagram, I miss watching you play tug of war with Ruger, I miss our Marvel Movie nights, I miss making you brownies and watching you eat half the pan, I miss playing words with friends with you, I miss deer hunting with you, I miss making a double batch of tomato soup hotdish so that you could have a batch for yourself, I miss our Black Friday shopping shenanigans, I miss how you always had time for me, I miss our lunch dates, I miss watching you and Jon make the thanksgiving turkey, I miss you grocery shopping with me and throwing random things in the cart to see if I’d notice, I miss your laugh, I miss listening to you tell me about your future….you were going to move back home to be closer to us, you were going to find the love of your life and get married, you were going to give me more nieces and nephews, you were going to open a gym and help others on their fitness journeys, you were going to enjoy life….it’s just not fair, you deserved the world, you deserved someone who loved and cared about you just like you loved and cared for those you loved, you deserved happiness and you deserved to be here following your dreams….I hate this emptiness that is left inside me, I miss the part of me that left when you died, the part of me that only you could bring out.... From the day you were born I knew you were going to be someone special in my life I just didn’t know how special. The bond we have I can’t describe. Having you for a brother is one of the greatest blessings I could have ever wished for and you made me so proud to be your sister. You were never afraid or embarrassed to say and show how much you loved me and how important I was to you. You were hilarious and made me laugh until my stomach hurt but also had the biggest heart. You were strong, fearless, passionate and chased after your dreams. Even though you were younger than me I looked up to you…literally haha. You deserve to be remembered, you will never be forgotten because you will live on through me in the thousands of memories we made. I was your biggest fan and not even death will change that. My loyalty has been and always will be to you. There are no words to explain how much I love you and how much I miss you…. Thank you for giving me the responsibility of being your big sister. Thank you for being my best friend, my protector, my favorite super hero and forever my little brother. I love you unconditionally forever and always 💕💕

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