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Obituary of Esther Nancy Hardison
On January 20, 2021, Esther Nancy Bradley Hardison passed away peacefully at home in the care of her family and of Niagara Hospice. She was 94. She was the daughter of the late Frank and Theda Bradley. Esther lived her whole life in Ransomville, New York, beginning with having been born on Halloween day, 1926, on the Bradley farm. She worked along with her parents and siblings raising and selling a great variety of fruits and vegetables. Esther was an excellent student and loved to read and was even spelling bee champion of her class one year. She graduated from Wilson High School at the age of 16 in 1942. She was a frequent patron of the Ransomville library, and often traded books with her sister Millie in their adult years.After high school, Esther continued to work on the Bradley farm, and also worked for a few years at Carborundum in Lockport. Esther married Denton Edson Hardison on January 18, 1951 at the Porter Center United Methodist Church, shortly before Denton was enlisted in the Air Force. During his time of service, the couple moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Esther gave birth to their first child, Jan. Soon after, the young family returned to Ransomville to move into the house which they have occupied for 65 years. Esther’s most important and longest held job was that of homemaker and mother to Jan, Brad, and Paige. While raising her three children, Esther found time to be active in community groups. She served in the Ransomville Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary; she was a founding member of the Ransomville Garden Club; she was a member of the Ransomville United Methodist Church; and she participated in the Kiwanis Peach Festival by serving on Peach Queen Committee and by in the Peach Shortcake tent. Esther enjoyed snowmobiling and attending social events with Denton and their friends. The Hardison family vacationed on various lakes in Ontario, Canada, where they enjoyed fishing and boating. In later years, Esther enjoyed traveling with Denton, visiting famous places throughout the United States; they also spent time in Myrtle Beach, SC. In addition to reading, Esther enjoyed watching “The Wheel of Fortune”; listening to Swing and Vocal Jazz music. In later years, she enjoyed birdwatching and looking out the picture window. Mostly, she enjoyed spending time with her family. She is survived by her loving children, son Bradley and daughter Paige, grandsons Evan and Ian Hardison; sister Mildred “Millie” (late Robert) Hillman; numerous nieces and nephews; and many good neighbors and friends that she had made over her long life. Esther was pre-deceased by her oldest daughter Jan Hardison; her husband of nearly 65 years, Denton Hardison; brothers Loren Bradley; Miles (late Viola) Bradley; and Harvey (late Jean) Bradley; sisters Marion (late Seward) Shippy; Dora (late Jim) Chestnut; and Nettie (late Grant) Martin; brother-in-law Gerald (late Marion) Hardison and sister-in-law Joyce Campbell (late Roy, Sr.) Just 2 days before Esther passed, she remembered what would have been Denton and Esther's 70th wedding anniversary on January 18th.Services will be privately held with her family. Memorials may be made to the Ransomville Free Library 3733 Ransomville Rd. Ransomville, NY 14131 or the Ransomville United Methodist Church PO Box 250 Ransomville, NY 14131. Arrangements entrusted to HARDISON FUNERAL HOMES INC. Please visit www.hardisonfuneralhomes.com for online registry.

Esther married HARDISON, Denton E on 18 Jan 1951 in Ransomville, Niagara County, NY. Denton (son of HARDISON, Dayton E and BENEDICT, Mabel I) was born on 13 Apr 1929 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, NY; died on 26 Nov 2015 in Ransomville, Niagara County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: GLENN, Everette C. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Obituary of Jan D. Hardison
Jan Denise Hardison of Ransomville passed from her earthly life on July 15, 2020, after a lengthy battle with cancer and other health problems. She was 67. Jan was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico when her father Denton Hardison was stationed there while serving in the U.S. Air Force. He was joined by Jan’s mother, Esther Bradley Hardison, and she gave birth to Jan on on March 13, 1953. Jan was a singer most of her life, and while still in high school was selected for All-County choruses, NYSSMA All-State chorus, and earned the distinguished honor of being one of only 2 high school singers from New York State selected for “America’s Youth in Concert”, which toured Europe immediately upon graduation. Jan graduated from Wilson High School in 1971, then attended the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., where she majored in Music (Voice performance). Jan went on to sing for close to 40 years in numerous choirs and opera companies, and was often employed as the paid Alto soloist/section leader. Notable among these were First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, Artpark Opera Chorus; Western New York Opera Theatre; Lancaster Opera House; High Holy Day choir, Temple Beth Am/Shir Shalom (Buffalo); St. Barnabas Episcopal in Scottsdale, Arizona, First Congregational church of Tempe, Arizona, and St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal near San Franciso, CA. In more recent years, she often joined her sister Paige in singing duets at the Ransomville United Methodist Church. Her final public performance was a trio sung with Paige and their cousin Lynn Esty at the First Presbyterian Church of Youngstown, where Jan also occasionally joined in rehearsals with their choir. Jan also taught voice for 2 years at Niagara University in the 1970’s. Jan worked as the Box Office Manager or similar positions at various theatres around the country, including Studio Arena (Buffalo), Artpark (Lewiston) Geva Theatre (Rochester), Connecticut Opera (Hartford) and Arizona State University (Tempe). She especially enjoyed her work in these places when it meant working with students or young adults, as it did at Artpark and ASU. Jan had a great love for choral music, and she especially enjoyed folk music of the U.S. and Canada, as well as Scandinavian groups. In addition to music and theatre, Jan loved nature and animals, (especially horses, dogs, cats, and birds) She also enjoyed movies, reading, jewelry making, and watching quality television. She loved the arts and found beauty in many things; she loved to laugh and never hesitated to cry, and was diligent about keeping in touch with her many friends and relatives by social media, phone calls, and in-person visits with family and friends. Jan is pre-deceased by her father, Denton Hardison and her beloved dogs Paddy and Beanbag and cats BC Thunderpaws and Tillie. She is survived by her mother Esther (nee Bradley) Hardison; brother Bradley Hardison; sister Paige Hardison; nephews Evan and Ian Hardison; her Aunt Millie (Bradley) Hillman; and her beloved Siberian mountain cat, Sammi; many cousins on both sides of her family; and many, many friends throughout the country and world. The family wishes to thank the many doctors, nurses, and support staff of all of the medical institutions which treated Jan in recent years, especially Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Mount St. Mary’s Hospital Wound Treatment Center; Lewiston Primary Care Center/NFMMC; Excelsior Orthopaedics, and the Visiting Nurse Association. Friends and family may call 2:00-6:00 SUNDAY July 19 at the HARDISON FUNERAL HOMES INC. 3648 Ransomville Road in Ransomville. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, funeral service will be for family members only on MONDAY at 10:00 am. Friends who would like to view the funeral live online may do so on the Hardison Funeral Home Facebook page. Memorial contributions in Jan’s name may be made to the Heart of Niagara Animal Rescue, 3652 Ewings Road, Lockport, N.Y., 14094. Please visit www.hardisonfuneralhomes.com for online condolences.

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Bradley “Brad” Denton Hardison entered rest on Monday, November 27, 2023, at age 68 years. Born on October 4, 1955, in Niagara Falls, NY, Brad was a lifelong resident of Ransomville. He spent most of his adult life serving Ransomville, Youngstown, Lewiston, and neighboring communities as a funeral director for, and ultimately, the owner of Hardison Funeral Homes, at which he worked alongside his father Denton Hardison and uncle Gerald Hardison. The story of the life and work of Brad Hardison could fill a book, but space is limited here. Brad was a 1973 graduate of Wilson Central High School and a 1975 graduate of the Hudson Valley Community College mortuary school. In addition to all of his work in the family business, Brad served on the boards of St. Mary’s Hospital and Niagara Hospice and was a 20-year member of the Ransomville Volunteer Fire Company. He was also a member of the National, State, and Erie-Niagara Funeral Directors associations for more than 40 years. Brad enjoyed golfing and tennis (both watching and playing), “mowing the back 40” on his farm, attending fundraiser pancake breakfasts and similar events, watching old comedy shows on TV, country music, and, more than anything, spending time with his family and many, many friends, and acquaintances As so many people have expressed, Brad was a compassionate, caring, and sympathetic individual, both at work and out in the community, as well as with his family. He truly made people feel significant and did all he could to fulfill their wishes for their loved ones. He was generous with both his time and his means, supporting many worthy non-for-profits and events, including the annual Lighting of the Wreaths parade in Ransomville. He was “our rock” that we could always lean on for so many things. Many have also commented on his sense of humor, his laugh, and his easy smile. Brad is predeceased by his father and mother, Denton, and Esther (nee Bradley) Hardison; his older sister Jan; his first wife Mary; and many uncles and aunts on both sides of the family. He is survived by his sons Evan Hardison and Ian Hardison; his younger sister Paige Hardison; former wife Linda Hardison; longtime friend and colleague Jim Ewell; longtime friend and companion Colleen Jackson; and many close cousins on both the Bradley and Hardison/Campbell sides. Visitation will be held at the Hardison Funeral Homes Inc. 3648 Ransomville Rd. in Ransomville on Saturday, Dec. 2nd 2-6 PM, and Sunday Dec. 3rd, also 2-6 PM; the funeral will be at 11:00 AM. on Monday Dec. 4th, also at the Funeral Home in Ransomville, Rev. Msgr. David LiPuma presiding. Burial will be in North Ridge Cemetery.Contributions may be made in memory of Bradley D. Hardison to, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Niagara Hospice, or the Ransomville Volunteer Fire Company. Please visit www.hardisonfuneralhomes.com.

Family/Spouse: Mary. Mary and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Linda. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]