John Hardman

John Hardman aka "Hardman", age 62, made his exit stage right on August 12, 2015, after giving pancreatic cancer a run for its money. John is survived and mourned by his cherished wife and co-conspirator, Robyn Phillips; his beloved daughter, Colette Hardman-Peavy (Felix Jaramillo); sisters, Cathy Ward (Don), Mary Ann Broell (Fred), Ellen Hardman (Dan Kercsmar) and Martha J. Hardman; extended family, Mimi and Natalie Peavy and Jeff Benham; and countless friends and colleagues. After moving to Albuquerque in 1960 with his parents, John began dazzling New Mexico audiences with his directorial brilliance by producing shows such as "Sleeping Ugly" in his backyard. He never looked back from there and performed in or directed performances at Highland High School, NMSU and at nearly every community theatre in Albuquerque; he was a fixture of Albuquerque's theatre community. John was a founding member of The Vortex Theatre and served on the board for numerous years, in addition to plain old loitering there and spooking the Betties. He was employed by Albuquerque Public Schools for over 30 years, where he encouraged and assisted theatre students. John's generosity, creativity, sense of dramatic timing and just plain weirdness will be sorely missed. His family extends their deepest gratitude to friends who provided him and Robyn with loving care and assistance in the last weeks and days of his life. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Vortex Theatre, 2900 Carlisle Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 or go to www.vortexabq.org for information on how to donate. Memorial services will be held on Sunday, August 30, 2015, 3:00 p.m. at the Bank of America Theatre in the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St. NW. In memory of John, his family asks that you go see a show at your local theatre. Please visit our online guestbook for John at www.FrenchFunerals.com . FRENCH - University 1111 University Blvd. NE 505-843-6333