Michael Hardick

Michael Louis Hardick entered the world on December 23rd, 1941 – the fifth of seven children of Willis Samuel Hardick and Jeanette Robertson Hardick.   He was born in Cushing, Oklahoma and grew up in a house largely built by his father - a working property with the address of RR1 in Cushing.   Mike always referred to his childhood home as ‘The Farm’.  

Life on The Farm was a year-round, all-hands affair.  The daily labors of a working farm were balanced with sibling revelry and family humor, as The Farm was a generational gathering place for decades.   The discipline of hard work forged the Hardick children’s work ethic as much as Jeanette’s exceptional skill as a gardener, canner, and cook nourished their bodies and souls. 

Mike’s interest in all things mechanical were not only an added value on The Farm, but a curiosity that served him well throughout his life.   At Cushing High School, he was an exceptionally popular student and gifted athlete, lettering in football and on several championship teams.  While in high school he met Bonnie Christine McIntosh on a beautifully fateful blind date.   

Upon graduating high school in 1960, Mike enlisted in the Air Force and served three and a half years as an electronic technician for Security Services.  In 1963, while in the Air Force, he married Bonnie and was honorably discharged in 1964.  They were blessed with two beautiful daughters, Kellie and Kristy. 

Mike’s native talents in mechanics and electronics led him through a 35-year career with the same aerospace company that started as LTV and went on to became Raytheon.  While he could not speak much of his projects at work, we came to learn that it was surely his work in Security Services with the USAF that earned him placement on projects that would occasionally take him to Washington, DC, Vandenberg AFB, and even Alice Springs, Australia.

Mike played as hard as he worked.  He loved the excitement of car racing and was a regular in the bleachers behind wire fences around dirt tracks of stock car races.  He once posited the idea of racing motorcycles to his young bride – to which she put up a hard ‘No’.  Not with a mouthy toddler at their heels and another on the way.   He turned to sailboat racing and never looked back. 

Life in the sailing community was a hallmark for all of Mike’s adult life – a passion into which the whole family was brought, to varying degrees.   He competed in several one-design fleets on Lake Ray Hubbard and in circuits across the region.  He served in many roles at Rush Creek Yacht Club:  racer, fleet captain, race committee, and several flag officer roles including Commodore in 2006. 

The most significant challenge of Mike’s life was living with a debilitating illness for the last thirteen years.  He faced this time in his life with on-brand defiance and bravery as the affliction cruelly robbed him of all he held dear.   He died peacefully on July 5th, 2025 – the echoes and essence of fireworks still in the air, reflecting his love of country, life and family. 

Michael Louis Hardick is survived by his daughters Kellie Michelle Hardick, Kristina Noel Johnson, his granddaughter Arielle Christine Ramirez and grandson Alexander Glenn Johnson.  He is also survived by Bonnie McCabe and three of his brothers:  Cecil Patrick Hardick, Mahlon Anthony Hardick and Willis Timothy Hardick.  He is preceded in death by his parents and three of his siblings:  Elaine Hardick, Mark Allen Hardick and Sammy Lea Towner.