James Hardy Smith III, 85, went home to Jesus on February 21, 2025, at his home near Kerrville, Texas. He was born in Baytown, Tx. to James Hardy Smith Jr. and Winnie Smith on January 31, 1940. He grew up in La Porte, Tx. where he went to school and graduated from there in 1958. Since he was a III, he was known as Hardy to his classmates and relatives.

He played 1st chair clarinet in the La Porte High School band and played with the Hungry Five, a local band. He started piano lessons in the 2nd grade with Mrs. Cora Anderson. It was her strict methods that enabled him to play all 12 pages of the Poet and Peasant Overture by memory for a youth recital at the age of twelve. Woodworking and auto mechanics were some of his other high school interests.

He attended some classes at Lee College in Baytown then joined the U.S. Air Force for four years. After basic he trained as an electrician and serviced the B-47 bombers that carried nuclear weapons for the Strategic Air Command (SAC). His rank in the Air Force was Airman 1st Class. When he joined the Air Force he became ''Jim''.

He married Shirley Buck on September 20, 1964, in La Porte, Tx. They celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2024. When they returned to La Porte after the Air Force, there as some confusion of whether he was ''Jim'' or was he ''Hardy'', so Shirley just called him ''Honey ''and he always answered.

He joined IBM in January 1966. He worked there for about 30 years as a Senior Customer Engineer servicing areas in Houston twice, Huntsville, Uvalde, and finally, San Antonio.

Jim enjoyed fishing and hunting so in 1992 he and wife, Shirley purchased raw land near Kerrville so he could continue hunting white tail deer. He started developing the land for future retirement. There was much cutting of cedar on weekends. Then came the water well, next electricity and phone service. A pump house and a barn were the first buildings erected. Jim had never built anything bigger than a bookcase and a deer blind, but with books and videos he was determined. Next came the plans for a cottage with a pier and beam foundation. He and Shirley and daughter Jenny did all the work except the final metal roof, the sheetrock walls, the outside plumbing, and the glass shower door. He had fun telling his wife just what to do and having her do it.

In May 1999 they both retired from their jobs - he from IBM and she from AAA Travel. They finished the cottage started in 1998 while living in a small camper.

In 2001 they moved from San Antonio so he could start work on the three-bedroom shell erected by a builder from Wimberly. It took a little over four years to do all the cabinets, shelves, woodwork, door facings, kitchen island, wain coating, the tile and wood floors, and all the painting. He also wired the house from his training as an electrician in the Air Force and did all the indoor plumbing. The stone fireplace, central air and heat and sheetrock work were contracted out.

He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Kerrville where he worked in the media center and played solo piano hymns for the offerings and other special events. Many times, he played arrangements by Mark Hayes. He also read scripture and ushered from time to time.

Other music he liked to play was ragtime, especially ''The Crave'' by Jelly Roll Martin and Scott Joplin's ''Maple Leaf Rag'' and ''The Entertainer''. Another hobby was his 1930 Ford coupe. He redid the engine and kept it running through the years. He gave rides to his friends and wife who liked to ride in the rear rumble seat. A paint job of green with black fenders was in the planning stage.

James Hardy was preceded in death by his daughter, Renae, age 17, his parents, James and Winnie Smith, his sister, Carol Van Dyke and her husband, Charles.

Survivors include his wife, Shirley, and daughter, Jenny Rebecca, his sister, Joan Gail Glover, his nieces, Heather Hodges and husband, Matt, Laura Watson and husband Jimmy and nephew, Charles Van Dyke and wife Andrea, and sisters-in-law Gayle Gray and husband Joe and Sandra Buck.

The memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, March 22 at Zion Lutheran Church with Dr. John Harrison officiating. Cremation was chosen.

Memorials may be given to Zion Lutheran Church or to the charity of your choice.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to the 2nd floor nurses of Peterson Hospital, Peterson Home Care, Peterson Hospice and our Zion Lutheran Church family.

Condolences may be sent at www.grimesfuneralchapels.com.

A memory jar will be available at the memorial for any who wish to leave a written remembrance for the family to read later.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Grimes Funeral Chapels of Kerrville.