Josephine La Barr Hardie, died January 7, 2013 in the Mission Hospital Laguna Beach from complications related to pneumonia.  Known as "Joie" to both family and friends, she was raised in San Marino, California, graduated from South Pasadena High School and then traveled east to Bucknell University for college where she graduated in 1948 with a degree in English.

At Bucknell, she met a dashing World War II Navy aviator, George Hardie, Jr. of Hackensack, New Jersey and in 1950 they married for a happy union that lasted 53 years until George's death in 2003.  The young couple returned to California in the early 1950s and settled in Long Beach where they raised their four children; Lori, George III, Jimmy, and Susie.  A lover of animals, Joie was an avid baseball and tennis fan and had a wide and diverse group of friends who were all crazy about her.  In particular, she was known for her ability to rapidly traverse the San Diego Freeway at any hour of the day.

Joie is survived by her four children and seven grandchildren.

Los Angeles Times, January 13, 2013