William P. "Billy" Hardeman, Jr.

William P. “Billy” Hardeman, Jr. passed away on Wednesday, February 14, 2018 in a local hospital following a brief illness.

Billy was born on March 21, 1931 to Ruth and William Hardeman, Sr. in Shreveport, LA and moved to Lake Charles at a young age. He was a graduate of Lake Charles High School in 1948 and a graduate of Southwestern Louisiana Institute. After college Billy served our country in the United States Air Force and was one of an elite group chosen for advanced electronic technical training. He also played football for the Air Force team for 2 years. After the military he worked as a supervisor for Amoco for 40 years before retiring. He then went on to purchase several hundred acres of marsh land and spent many hardworking days and hours developing and improving the property. He loved spending his time outdoors while hunting, fishing, and even designing and building his own boats. In the early 1980s he developed an interest in Sporting Clays and traveled across the country competing in tournaments. He enjoyed training Labrador Retrievers and running in Field Trials as well. Billy attended First Baptist Church in Lake Charles. He was a founding member of the Gulf Coast Chapter of Delta Waterfowl and in addition he served on the Board of Soil and Water Conservation for many years.

Left to cherish Mr. William’s memory is his loving wife of 62 years, Mrs. Carole Hardeman of Lake Charles; daughter, Kim Strong (Thomas) of Lake Charles; brother, Thomas Hardeman (Lu) of Lafayette; sister, Martha Sanders (Robert) of Houston; grandchildren, Christine Strong Glazier (Brandon), William Strong, Katherine Sorkow, and Ben Sorkow all of Lake Charles; great grandchildren, Tyler, Elizabeth, and Liam all of Lake Charles; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Susan Hardeman Sorkow; as well as his parents.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Michael Turner for his excellent medical care provided through the years and for his lifelong friendship.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Delta Waterfowl or a charity of your choice in his memory.

Billy’s funeral service will be at Johnson Funeral Home at 2:30 PM on Saturday, February 17, 2018. Brother Andrew Martin will officiate. Burial will follow at Prien Memorial Park. Visitation will begin on Friday, February 16, 2018 at Johnson Funeral Home at 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM and will resume on Saturday at 12:00 PM until the time of service.