The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Beauregard Parish, La.

William “Will” Hardesty, III, 43, a former resident of Nederland and Mauriceville died Friday, May 7, 2010, in Beauregard Parish, La. Funeral services will be 10 a.m., Saturday, May 15 at First Baptist Church of Mauriceville. Officiating will be Pastor Donny Robbins of Celebration of Life Church in Port Arthur and the Rev. Kevin Brown of First Baptist Church Mauriceville. Burial will follow at Orange Forest Lawn Cemetery in West Orange. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m., Friday at Claybar Funeral Home in Orange.

Born in Orange, Texas on Nov. 22, 1966, William was the son of William Tate Hardesty Jr. and Patricia Ann (Frederick) Hardesty.

William accepted Christ at an early age, and felt he was called by God to the ministry at the age of 12.

After graduating from Little Cypress Mauriceville High School in 1985, he served in the Navy for four years.

Later, he attended Lamar State College - Orange for two years, then he fulfilled his ministerial calling by serving for Teen Challenge Texas as teacher, counselor, and leader in San Antonio and Coastal Bend Campuses; and then became Education Director at the Jasper Campus.

He was also currently employed by Turner Industries and was a member of Celebration of Life Church in Port Arthur, along with his loving wife, Paula.

His leadership and love for the Lord was an inspiration to many, William will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Preceded in death by his father, Will is survived by his wife, Paula Salvagio Hardesty and her three sons, Travis, Tyler and Trent of Nederland; his son, Spencer Sonnier of Orange; and mother, Pat Hardesty Cheek and her husband, Truett of Mauriceville. He is also survived by his sisters, Sherri Flowers and her husband, Buddy of Mauriceville and Stephanie Garza and her husband, Jimmy of Orange; nieces, Summer Parker and Jocelyn Garza; nephews, Dakota Parker and Gabriel Garza; and Truett’s sons, David and John Cheek.

Serving as pallbearers will be Dakota Parker, Jeff Hunt, Wayne Allen Frederick, Ercell Frederick, Keith Williams and Louis Vincent. Honorary pallbearers will be William’s childhood friends and camping buddies from Mauriceville. “You know who you are.”

Memorial contributions may be made to Celebration of Life, P.O. Box 2064, Port Arthur, Texas 77642 or First Baptist Church Mauriceville, P.O. Box 56 Mauriceville, Texas 77626.