Mr. Rodney Clifton Hardee

Birth date: January 22, 1947
Death date: July 9, 2013

Obituary:
Loris, South Carolina
Mr. Rodney Clifton Hardee, age 66, of Loris, SC passed away on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center after a short illness.

He was born on January 22, 1947 in Horry County to Joseph Clifton Hardee and Irene Hardee.

A 1965 graduate of Loris High School, Mr. Hardee also received a BS degree in Business Management from Coker College. While serving as the Public Works Director for the City of Loris for forty-one years, he also served the Loris Fire Department for forty years and was Assistant Fire Chief for more than two decades. After God and his family, the Loris Fire Department was his greatest passion. He answered his last call just hours before being hospitalized. During his time with the fire department, he received certification as a State Fire Marshal.

A veteran of Operation Desert Storm, Mr. Hardee served in the South Carolina Army National Guard, obtaining the rank of First Sergeant with thirty-three years of service to his State and Country.

One of his greatest loves was Oak Dale Baptist Church where he served as a deacon and held numerous other positions during his life-long affiliation with the church.

He was the Founder and Director of the Food Distribution Program at Oak Dale, and his life's focus was that of caring for others in need and those less fortunate within his community. Even after battling several health complications throughout his life, he worked tirelessly at everything he did and continued his selfless service to the community.

He was a member of numerous associations, including The South Carolina State Fireman's Association, South Carolina National Guard Association, South Carolina Water and Pollution Association, and Loris Masonic Lodge # 205 A.F.M.

Mr. Hardee is survived by his wife, Donnella Stevens Hardee; two sons and their spouses, Cole and Tanya Hardee, Ashley and Angie Hardee; his mother, Irene Hardee; three sisters and their spouses, Brenda Canada, Charlotte and Lloyd Harrelson, Yvonne and Ray Stanley; a sister-in-law, Vicky Stevens of Portland, Oregon; and five grandchildren, Holly, Maclaley, Bryson, Colson, and Bella Hardee; numerous nephews and nieces, and he became "Pa-pa" to a great number of "acquired" grandchildren throughout the local community.

He was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Clifton Hardee.

A scholarship fund is being established in his memory for students that have survived life's obstacles. Memorials may be made to The Rodney C. Hardee Memorial Scholarship Fund, 925 Heritage Road, Loris, SC 29569.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM Friday, July 12, 2013 at Loris High School Auditorium; committal services with Military and Masonic Rites will follow at Oak Dale Cemetery. Pastor W.P. McLeod and Preacher Dennis Williams will officiate services. Visitation will be from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM Thursday, July 11, 2013 at the Loris Public Safety Building.

Please sign Mr. Hardee's online guestbook at hardwickfuneralhome.com or call Hardwick Funeral Home at 843-756-7001 for further information.

On Oct. 17, 2009, Loris Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Rodney Hardee gets a birdseye view from the top of the department's two-year-old ladder truck set-up in downtown for the 2009 Loris Bogoff. File photo