August Hardt

August V. Hardt, 67, died on Monday, May 5, 2008, following a skiing accident at a Roosevelt Lake family reunion he had organized. A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. today (May 9) at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix Virginia G. Piper Auditorium, located at 550 E. Van Buren St.
   A native Arizonan, he was born and grew up in Globe, and lived all of his life in Arizona, moving throughout the state to work as an engineer for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).
   From 1964-1967, he was Holbrook area engineer, and from 1979-1983, he was Holbrook assistant dis-trict engineer.
   August was a proud graduate and supporter of the University of Arizona. Immediately upon graduating from the UofA in 1963, he became an engineer-in-training for the State Highway Department (later to be-come ADOT). He worked there 33 ½ years until his retirement in December 1996. At that time, he was state operations engineer.
   After retirement, he worked for Entranco, a consulting engineering firm, until it was sold to DMJM Harris. August was consulting with DMJM at the time of his death.
   He loved his work, he loved his family and he loved his state. An avid outdoorsman, he hunted, fished, boated and hiked in most of Arizona’s rivers, lakes, canyons and mountains. He also liked to travel and had visited 42 states and nine countries with his wife, Mary Baack Hardt, whom he called “my life’s love” in a recent life history he wrote for the family.
   Survivors include his wife, Mary Baack Hardt of Avondale; his daughter, Monica Delisa, and her hus-band, Vince, of Tucson; his son, Eric, and his wife, Gina, of Peoria; grandchildren Marlina, Gina and Sofia Delisa and Amanda Clark, Riley, Carson and Avery Hardt; his sisters, Kathy Elowitz of Globe; Jo Foti and her husband, Vince, of Phoenix; and Athia Hardt of Phoenix; seven nieces and nephews; four great-nieces and nephews; his mother-in-law, Alice Baack of Texas; his brother-in-law, Richard, of Texas; and his sis-ter-in-law, Patty Baack, of Claypool.
   He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Senator A.V. “Bill” and Athia Hardt.
   The family asks that in lieu of flowers memorial gifts be given to the August Hardt Endowed Scholar-ship to support students from Globe High School attending the University of Arizona to study engineering or math. Donations may be sent to David Allen, The University of Arizona Foundation, P.O. Box 210109, Tucson, Ariz. 85721-0109. Make checks payable to UAF/August Hardt Endowment.