Raymond Edwin Hardy

Raymond Edwin Hardy, beloved husband and father, passed away on Sunday, March 10, 2019, at the age of 86. Born in Arbutus, Maryland, Ray was a gifted musician and attended Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he majored in music education. A dedicated teacher, he taught instrumental music in Baltimore County for 29 years, primarily at Catonsville High School. He taught instrumental music privately as well. Ray served as music director at First Presbyterian Church of Howard County and sang bass in the choir at Church of the Redeemer in Towson and at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Baltimore. He played clarinet, piano, saxophone, flute, bassoon, piccolo, violin and viola, and relished his many performances as an orchestral player collaborating with such luminaries as Jack Benny, Carol Channing, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Henry Mancini. Additionally, he was an accomplished jazz pianist, performing at the Westview Lounge on Ingleside for many years. A master woodworker, Ray retired from teaching in 1981 to pursue instrument making, becoming a luthier of note in the Mid-Atlantic region. For six years, he traveled to the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, to study instrument making under Karl Roy, the director of the Mittenwald Violin Making School in Mittenwald, Germany. Prior to that he studied instrument repair under Hans Nebel in New York. From 1987 until 2008 he produced a number of noteworthy cellos, violas, and violins, and also repaired instruments out of his home studio. His instruments can be heard today in the National Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia in Spain; and have been featured in solo performances from Brussels to Colorado, Maine, Baltimore, and Florida. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Irene; three sons, David (Sarah), Andrew (Yumiko), and Scott (Celine); brother Ken (Susan); three grandchildren, Madeleine, William, and Anna; and five nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held 1:00 P.M., Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, 4711 Edmondson Avenue, 21229. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Gilchrist Hospice or St. Bartholomew’s Church. (links below)