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Jeffrey Milton Hardin of Millis died Friday, April 17, 2009, at his home. He was 60.
Born, raised and educated in Needham, he was a son of the late Milton B. and Meriel N. (Newcomer) Hardin. He was a 1966 graduate of Needham High School.
Mr. Hardin attended UMass-Amherst, but interrupted his studies to serve with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He completed his degree at UMass in 1974, and would later earn a master of science degree in environmental engineering from Northeastern University.
He lived briefly in Natick and Medfield prior to settling in Millis in 1978. He had been employed as an environmental engineer with GZA of Newton and TGG of Needham before forming his own company, Underground Engineering.
Mr. Hardin was an active member of the Millis community. He had been a two-term member of the Millis Board of Selectmen, a past president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and had served on many boards and committees in Millis. Among them were the Historical Commission, the Permanent Building Committee, the Cable Commission and the Master Plan Implementation Task Force.
He had been very active with the project to preserve the Niagara Fire Station in Millis Center, a cause that remained dear to him. He was also instrumental in the current transformation of the downtown Millis area and was proclaimed Citizen of the Year by the Millis Lions Club earlier this month.
He was an enthusiastic sailor and enjoyed playing guitar.
He was also a volunteer shipbuilder during the construction of the Spirit of Massachusetts and had been a charter member of the UMass Amherst chapter of Engineers Without Borders, founded in 2004. He was a member of Millis American Legion Post 208.
He leaves his wife, Jane (Mulligan) Hardin; a daughter, Jennifer Marie Hardin of Cambridge; two sons, James Milton Hardin and John Michael Hardin, both of Millis; a sister, Lisa Jane Hardin and her partner, Cheryl Labonte, of Millis; two brothers, Nicholas J. Hardin and his wife, Susan, of Williston, Vt., and Daniel E. Hardin and his wife, Carolyn, of Carbondale, Colo.; six nieces and nephews, Katherine, Christopher, Michael, Jessica, Jackson and Andrew; a grand-nephew, Bryan, and grandniece, Annika; his mother-in-law, Evelyn A. (Healy) Mulligan of Natick; and a sister-in-law, Katherine Mulligan of Watertown.
He was brother of the late Christopher L. Hardin.
Memorial donations may be made to the Millis Historical Society, Niagara Fund, P.O. Box 155, Millis, MA 02054. https://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20090420/news/304209775
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William Eaton
Jeff was my first best friend. We were about 2 and a half, I guess our mothers were friends. He moved into Harris, we stayed in Mitchell, met again at the Highland. Sorry he is gone. Bill Eaton
John Hubley (Hubley)
My favorite college roommate at UMASS. We lusted after each other's girlfriends and partied too hard. He went off to play with Uncle Sam, so I married my girl, fast, before he came back. Later, we mourned our roomie Joey who passed too long ago from HIV, but will always be remembered. We both had engineering firms, but rarely contacted in the 90's when he was so active with Town of Medfield stuff, but we did some work charity work together after 2k for C.C., raising money, etc. I had no idea he was soooo close when he bugged me to get back for the last reunion...I was in California recovering from surgery, myself... but had I known, I'd have scraped up the gumption to get back for one last blow out. We loved English cars, loud guitars, old houses, tiny blondes, and could raise one or two mugs for a good (or maybe ANY) cause. Here's to you, Jeff. There was only one.