HARDY, Hugh Spence

October 14, 1924 to April 19, 2017 

With great sadness, we report the passing of Hugh Spence Hardy very peacefully at his summer home in Guelph, ON surrounded by family. With great satisfaction, Hugh declared he had been blessed with a good life. Those of us who have lost Hugh would declare it a “great life”. Hugh was a leader, a soldier, a pioneering marketer, an executive banker, an entrepreneur, a published memoirist, a passionate golfer, a story teller of great wit, an adventurer and most of all a devoted family man. Hugh was charming, kind and the beloved patriarch of our clan. He was pre-deceased by his dearly beloved wife Betty Joan, with whom he shared a 62 year love affair. He is survived by siblings Bernice Hellofs of Saskatoon, Shirley Wotherspoon (Ken) of Hope, BC and Mavis Dodds of Edmonton, AB and sister-in-law Jean Hillyard of Winnipeg, MB. He was pre-deceased as well by sister Murial and brother Bud. Hugh will be greatly missed by his companion Bev Kadyk of Palm Harbor, FL. And by his son Rick (Chantal Dion), son Brad, daughter Brenda Dewar (Rob) as well as son Scott (Kim). He will be forever loved by grandchildren Christina Dee (Nic), Alex Dewar, Lauren Graydon (Ewan), as well as Jordan, Rebecca, Kaitlin, Hannah Hardy, Laurence and Florianne Dion and his two great grandchildren, Kaelin and Lachlan. The compassionate care of Anne Hardy made his final days comfortable. Hugh was raised in Saskatoon during the depression by his widowed mother Emma. He served in the Royal Canadian Regiment during WWII and with distinction on the front line in the Korean War as an infantry Captain (acting). With a degree in Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, he embarked on a successful career in business that took him from Vancouver to New York, working with global corporate clients alongside of the legendary market researcher Alfred Politz. Hugh then returned to Canada with his family and turned his attention to banking with the Royal Bank of Canada. He introduced the previously staid banking industry to modern marketing and advertising practices. He rose to hold senior executive leadership roles in marketing, public and governmental affairs, introducing Chargex (Visa) to the Canadian market. He transformed how banks launch and develop new products and services. He also took on increasingly senior operational roles in the Bank, retiring as an EVP. As an entrepreneur he had a lobster export business in the Bahamas and a successful consulting practice. Late in life he turned his prodigious intellect and memory to writing his memoirs, which he published in 2016 (“And Out of The West: The Checkered Life of a Prairie Boy”, XLIBRIS). Hugh’s was a life well lived and well documented. He was charming, down to earth, a natural leader, a fabulous host and accomplished story teller. He was a force of nature and a positive role model for family, friends and his co-workers. He will be deeply missed. A celebration of Hugh’s life will be held at the Arboretum Center in the Village by the Arboretum on Stone Rd. in Guelph on April 22, 2017 at 12 noon to 2:30PM. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital, whose staff provided him with excellent care over the years.