John "Jack" E. Hardiman

On November 29, 2025, John E. “Jack” Hardiman, aged 91, died peacefully in Concord, Massachusetts. Born on March 23, 1934, John was the second son of George and Mary Hardiman and grew up with 12 brothers and sisters in Jamaica Plains. John graduated from Boston Latin School (1951), Harvard University with a major in Russian (1959) and Harvard Business School with an M.B.A. (1961). He served in the U.S. Army (1953-56) with a military intelligence unit and was primarily stationed in West Germany. As a business executive, John spent his entire career working for Ford Motor Company (1962-1994) in Europe where he became fluent in six languages and worked in various capacities in France, Belgium, and England before being promoted to President of Ford of Portugal (1974), Ford of Italy (1977), and Ford of Germany (1989). After retiring, John returned to the United States where he lived in Concord until his death and became a master organizer of family reunions.  

Beyond his professional achievements, John's heart was always with his family. He was married to Robin Hardiman for 36 years and was a devoted father to his five children – Petra, Mark, Jennifer, Alexander and Benjamin – and an enthusiastic “Papa John” to his 11 grand-children and five great-grandchildren. He also remained very close with his siblings Paula, Brenda, Kathleen, Mary, and David, who live near Boston, and Gene and Paul, who live in the Chicago area, as well as with his mother Mary, brothers Albert, George, Walter and Gerard and sister Virginia who died before him.

Always willing to help, John will be remembered by his family for his leadership, perseverance, integrity, sense of humor and strong belief that life is what you make of it. He had a great run and will be sorely missed but never forgotten.         

Visiting hours at the Dockray & Thomas Funeral Home, 455 Washington Street in Canton on Friday, December 5, 2025 between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. Funeral mass at St. Oscar Romero Parish Church, 700 Washington Street in Canton on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. followed by burial at Knollwood Memorial Park, 321 High Street in Canton. Donations in lieu of flowers to the Alzheimer’s Association at https://www.alz.org/manh.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John "Jack" E. Hardiman, please visit our floral store.