Shirlene Atkinson Hardy

Shirlene Atkinson Hardy, age 85, gained her heavenly angel status October 10, 2022. Our loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend peacefully left this mortal life due to natural causes, surrounded by loving family at her home in Holladay, Utah. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 2, 1937 to Virgil Delton and Margaret Bird Atkinson. Later the family moved to California where Shirlene resided until she attended BYU to study music. On a visit home, she met her future husband while he was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Shirlene married Harold George Hardy, Jr. on September 4, 1958 in the Salt Lake Temple. Together they had 10 children, and later divorced. Shirlene was an accomplished singer and pianist. She sang in musicals in school and later in life formed a traveling quartet with her friends. She played the piano and sang with the Joe Matthews Band in Yuba City, California and also performed on stage, singing and dancing at Promised Valley Playhouse in Salt Lake City.

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Shirlene loved to line dance and would go each week to the Senior Center for classes. Shirlene also loved to travel with friends and family. She was blessed to visit many places such as Canada, Korea, Europe, Indonesia, Aruba, Greece, and many states throughout the United States. She met and married her soul mate, Jerry Barlow, in 1988. They purchased some property in Honeyville, Utah where they could be close to nature, family, and Crystal Hot Springs. Shirlene loved spending time with her children and grandchildren and having family visit her home in Honeyville before selling the property. She enjoyed getting together several times a year to celebrate family birthdays, as well as planning parties for the holidays. Shirlene went to Crystal Hot Springs daily to help ease her joints and muscles from the arthritis that eventually limited the many things she loved to do before moving to the Salt Lake area to be cared for by her children and caretakers.

Survived by siblings: Lola Jean, Carol (Pat), Annette (Jerry), Delton (Kem), Karl, Virgil Dee (Roxane), 45 nieces and nephews, numerous great nieces and great nephews, her children: David, Dale, Douglas (Becky), Daniel (Titan), Dwayne (Sheri), Melanie (Troy), Margaret (Steve), Darrell (Madeline), Dean, and Maureen (Russell), 36 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by her soul mate Jerry Barlow, grandsons Eric Hardy and Brayden Black, sisters Belva Atkinson and Connie Larkin, brother in-law Roy Gene Weight, and her parents Virgil Delton & Margaret Bird Atkinson. We appreciate her faithful caretakers: Laicie Mortensen, Susan Rivera and Kasi Vai who assisted her in many daily tasks and express deepest gratitude for your faithful service and daily care of Shirlene.

The family will hold private family services to celebrate Shirlene's life.