Edmond D. Hardin, Jr.

Edmond (Ed) Dee Hardin Jr., 54, passed away peacefully at his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on February 10, 2021, after a courageous battle with stage 4 colon cancer.

Ed was born on November 8, 1966, in Mobile, AL, to Edmond Dee Hardin, Sr. and Lola Mae (Ryals) Hardin. Ed’s early years were spent living in many places as his father served in the U.S. Army. This included time living in Germany. Ed is survived by his two sisters and their families: Daria Christy (Hardin) McCray, her husband Tom and their children Marshall and Kathryn McCray and Sheridan McCray and Mary Beth (Hardin) Angelo, her husband Orly Angelo, and their children Miles, Arlo and Natalie Angelo and Jackson and Allison Walworth.

Ed graduated high school from The Kinkaid School in Houston, TX, and then received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Westminster College in Fulton, MO. Ed spent those high school and college summers working as an intern at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX, and there found his passion to serve in the health care profession. After completing his undergraduate training, he earned a master’s degree in Health Administration from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO.

Ed married the love of his life, Julie Beth (Boecker) Hardin on December 29, 1990, in Houston, TX. Ed and Julie were lifelong friends since attending Long Point Baptist Elementary School in the fourth grade together. Ed and Julie were blessed with two children, Jonathan Mark Hardin and Jordan Elizabeth Hardin. Ed was always an involved dad; coaching soccer, helping with Boy Scouts, teaching Sunday School and Confirmation classes, just to name a few. Ed was blessed to see his son Jonathan marry Erika Misako (Francks) Hardin and his daughter become engaged to Hao Thein Ma. There was nothing more that brought a smile to Ed‘s face than to talk about his children and the precious times he spent with them.

Ed spent the past 10 years serving in leadership roles as Vice President of Supply Chain. He was currently working at Froedtert Health System. Ed had also served in similar capacities at Beaumont Health, Michigan’s largest health care system and at CHRISTUS Health, a faith-based, international health care provider with locations in the United States and Latin America. Prior to his roles as a provider-based supply chain leader, he held performance and management consulting positions at Alvarez & Marsal, Deloitte & Touche and Ernst & Young.

Ed always believed in giving back to his profession, as well as life-long learning. He was a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a board member of the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management. He served on several health supply chain industry boards including the IDN Summit, J&J’s Verb Surgical Non-Clinical Advisory Board, and most recently Amazon’s Health Care Advisory Board and TractManager’s Executive Client Council. In addition to his professional associations, Ed was active in his church (St. Marcus Lutheran) served as the chairman of the advisory board of Best Buddies Wisconsin and was a mentor and frequent guest speaker to students entering the healthcare and supply chain fields. He was also an adjunct professor with the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business.

Ed received many awards and honors over his career, but two of the most meaningful honors Ed received were his induction into the Bellwether Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain leadership in October, 2020, and the receipt of the Corris Boyd Leadership and Diversity Award in 2018 from the Federation of American Hospitals.

Ed was passionate about his work, but more passionate about his faith, family and friends. He will be sorely missed by all of those whose lives he touched.

For those wishing to pay their respects the family will hold a visitation at Harder Funeral Home, Brookfield WI on Saturday, February 13, from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, a second visitation at St. Marcus Lutheran Church on Sunday, February 14, from 1:30-3:00 and then a celebration of life worship service to follow beginning at 3:00 pm at St. Marcus.

Ed’s body will be flown home to Texas where there will also be a visitation at Brenham Memorial Chapel with the family present Friday, February 19, from 4 pm – 7 pm. There will be funeral service beginning at 7 pm. Burial will be at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery of William Penn.

The family has requested memorials in Ed’s honor to be made to one of the following organizations:
Best Buddies Wisconsin
St Marcus Lutheran School
Bethlehem Lutheran Church