Memorial Service - Martha Hardy

*Song — When I get where I’m going (B. Paisley)

*Prayer & Opening Greetings

*Song — God gave me you (B. Shelton)

*Obituary

Martha Hardy, born on April 28, 1946, in Greenville, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on December 26, 2025, in Washington, North Carolina, at the age of 79. Raised in the welcoming embrace of Ayden, North Carolina, Martha's life was a testament to love, resilience, and the joy of simple pleasures.

Martha, alongside her late husband Raymond Hardy Jr., owned and operated a successful mobile home business, where they built not just homes but lasting relationships within their community. Her work was marked by dedication and partnership, reflecting the strength and unity she cherished in both her personal and professional life.

Her heart was as warm as her kitchen, where countless friends and family gathered to enjoy her legendary cooking. Renowned for her pineapple upside-down cake and cheese biscuits better than any money could buy, Martha had a knack for bringing people together, creating memories that would be savored for generations.

Among her greatest joys was her beloved dog Muffin, who was a constant companion and source of happiness in her life. Martha’s gentle spirit and generous heart touched all who knew her, and her legacy of kindness and love will continue to inspire those she leaves behind.

Preceded in death by her husband Raymond Hardy Jr., father Raymond Wainwright, and mother Mildred Wainwright, Martha's memory lives on through her family: daughter Sheila Justice and her husband of Washington, NC; daughter Betty M. Sutton; son Richard Justice of Williamston, NC; and son Dylan Carawan of Washington, NC. She also leaves behind a cherished legacy of 13 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren, each carrying forward her spirit and love.

Family Words

*Song — Go rest high on that mountain (V. Gill)

Message: Grief, Hope, and Comfort

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 “13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

Grief is expected

Christian sorrow is real, and Paul assumes grief, not its absence

Christian grief is just different

Hope is in Christ

The gospel comes before comfort.

Resurrection hope flows from Christ’s victory.

Because Jesus rose, death is temporary.

Comfort should be shared

Hope is not private; it is communal.

We borrow faith from one another.

God comforts us so we can comfort others.

Conclusion

Death interrupts, but it does not end the story.

*Song — Amazing Grace (country style)

Closing Prayer